A New World
by InfiniteWordForge
Summary: Four years have passed since the end of the war, a war that changed everyone's life, a war that turned huntress into soldier. A rebuilt Vale has known four years of peace and it seems as though the war is fading into a memory. But for some the war will never end.
1. Chapter 1

It was a day that she would never forget, the day Vale burned and Beacon crumbled before their very eyes. Weiss could only watch from the deck of the airship that took her and many more to safety, watching as flames swallowed their home below. She remembered the cries of her fellow students and civilians alike, she remembered feeling that it had to be some kind of nightmare, like it couldn't be real.

But it was.

She turned away from the window to watch as the paramedics bandaged Blake's arm as well as her legs. Yang lay face down on the floor, fists balled and teeth bared as shards of glass were carefully removed from her back. Weiss put a hand to her own wounded shoulder, already bandaged as the red clad figure of Ruby walked up to the window beside her, the younger girl's right eye covered with bloodstained bandages.

"This isn't the end of us." She said in a voice laden with frustration and sorrow, yet overflowing with conviction. "One day we'll rebuild Vale."

Weiss remembered how her leader looked as she faced her, she was so close to tears yet a fire shone in her eye. A determination that would later burn just as brightly within her and the others.

* * *

"Chancellor."

Weiss stirred from her slumber, pulled from her dreams by a familiar voice.

"Chancellor Schnee."

Her eyes opened, the haze of sleep still clouding her vision. She sat in her seat with her chin resting on her right hand, elbow propped on the seat's arm. She straightened, her drowsiness quickly fading, and looked to her left where Penny stood by her seat, dressed in a black skirt and dress jacket with a scroll in her hands.

"We will be landing soon, Chancellor." Penny said to her. She opened her scroll, the light of the screen glowing in her unblinking eyes. "I hope you're well rested, ma'am, you've a full schedule ahead of you. According to my reports Master Wukong and Ambassador Scarletina will be arriving in vale later this afternoon."

"That's right." Weiss said, now fully awake. "Vale is reestablishing our treaty with the Southern Colonies."

"That's correct, ma'am." Penny nodded, closing her scroll. "The treaty that you yourself along with Admiral Belladonna and Master Wukong formed seven years ago."

Weiss put a hand to her forehead. "Has it really been that long?" She asked aloud.

"It has." Penny replied. "This year marks the fourth year of peace since the war."

"Then it's high time Vale reaffirmed it's alliance with the Colonies." Weiss said, lowering her hand. "This ceremony will be more than just revisiting the vows we traded that day, it'll be a celebration as well."

"I'm honestly bursting with excitement, ma'am. We all are." Penny added and even though her face was incapable of showing any expression Weiss knew it was true.

The sound of footsteps made Penny turn in place and another Penny appeared in Weiss' field of vision, this one dressed in the navy blue skirt and white button down of a flight attendant.

"We'll be docking in five minutes, Chancellor." She said.

"Thank you, Penny." Weiss nodded to her.

The second Penny gave a short bow and walked away, allowing the first to continue speaking.

"We have a car waiting for us at the port." She said. "We'll head straight to the park from there."

Weiss paused for a moment, suddenly remembering a prior engagement before the ceremony. With a nod to Penny she planted her hands on the arms of her seat and pushed herself upright. She had grown taller over the years and cut an elegant figure in her white suit and slacks with a red tie and lining, her hair tied up as she had always done.

As she took a step her left knee buckled, throwing her off balance and falling into the table in front of her which she held onto for balance. Penny quickly set aside her scroll and retrieved the silver cane propped up by Weiss' seat.

"Ma'am, your cane." She said, offering it to her.

Weiss looked blankly at it for a moment before taking it, the upper section of the shaft was crafted like the hilt of her old sword. She had forgotten, an old wound from the war left her with a leg that couldn't support her fully and now she had to rely on this to get around.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Penny asked, taking a step back to give Weiss room.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Weiss replied. "I think I'm still a little groggy."

"That's a relief. Please be more careful, ma'am."

With a nod to her assistant Weiss retrieved her silver briefcase and the white gloves resting atop it before making her way to the ship's side door, walking with graceful strides despite her handicap. After a few minutes Weiss felt the ship slow to a halt, the door opened as a retractable walkway extended from the landing pad, a horde of reporters and cameramen gathered on the other end.

As chancellor it fell to Weiss to handle many political relations and her sudden trip to a neighboring kingdom in spite of the approaching ceremony had the media buzzing. She took a moment to answer a few questions, ignoring the typical tabloid inquiries. With the help of her security detail Weiss managed to get through the wall of people and to her car where another Penny, dressed in a black business suit, stood by the open door.

Weiss and her assistant slid into their seats, letting the other Penny close the doors behind them. A moment later the car began to move. Weiss stared out the window as the vehicle made it's way down the tower that acted as the sky port, a new addition to Vale after it's rebuilding.

Out on the street she watched the buildings and people pass by, it was hard to believe that this city was little more than a ruin seven years ago. She remembered the countless hours of work that it took just to make the city livable again. She had used her power of her family's company to secure the funds and resources needed to rebuild and along the way she became its chancellor. There was still a lot of work to do but the progress that was made instilled in her a sense of pride and she couldn't help but smile.

* * *

At the edge of town, on a cliff overlooking the ocean, sat a park. The trees were taken from the forest behind Beacon and some were even from Ever Fall creating a vibrant and colorful place. But the park contained something more, something very important to pre-war Beacon students and the city's people both.

The car slowed to a stop at the park's entrance, an elaborate iron arch over a white cobblestone path. Weiss waited for Penny, the driver, to come around and open her door and as she exited the vehicle she was greeted by a bouquet of white flowers. She looked up from the flowers to Penny who held them.

"We knew you were busy, Chancellor," she said, "So I went and bought your usual for you."

Slightly awestruck Weiss accepted the flowers with her free hand. "Thank you, Penny." She said.

"We knew you wouldn't have the time to go buy them yourself." Said the other Penny, her assistant who now stood on the other side of the car. "We know that our original would have done the same."

Weiss looked from her assistant back to her driver, another smile spreading across her face. "Thank you." She said again. "Both of you."

Her driver stepped aside. "You should hurry." She said. "The others will most likely be there by now."

"Please take as much time as you need, ma'am." Her assistant said. "If anything comes up we'll notify you."

Taking a moment to look the pair in the eye Weiss gave them a nod and began making her way into the park. She felt that if they could smile they would have been. The thought and their kind gesture tugged at her heart as she remembered the original Penny, the one all these new Pennys were modeled after but shared none of her traits. Weiss' cane clicked against the cobblestones as she walked, the cool breeze playing in her hair and the sounds of children at play in the background. Today was a day of remembrance, she told herself, even if the memories were painful she never wanted to forget them.

She made her way deeper into the park until it's center came into view through the trees; a tall obelisk with wings, a monument to those who died during the siege that destroyed Vale and the one that reclaimed it. She could see three women standing around the monument, one with long blond hair, one with long black hair and one with short, scraggly auburn hair.

Blake turned, the cat ears in her jet black mane twitching as they heard Weiss' approach. Blake was lean and lithe like a panther dressed in a black double breast jacket adorned with medals from her service with the navy and her cap tucked under her arm, her black slacks were never sullied and her shoes polished to mirror-like shine.

"You're late, Weiss." She said with a cool and welcoming smile, drawing the blond woman's attention.

Yang turned to greet Weiss, she was still the same wildcard she had always been but now with twice the muscle. The tail of her leather duster fluttered around her darkened boots as she turned, dressed in dark slacks and a tight yellow tank top that exposed her abdomen, Yang didn't look the picture of a soldier let alone a commander.

"Didn't think you'd make it." She said, approaching the shorter woman and patting her on the shoulders.

Weiss was glad to see her but she shrugged away from her hand anyway. "Yang, please," she said, "You're going to wrinkle my jacket."

"Ever the perfectionist I see." Blake said, stepping forward to join them. Her eyes met Weiss' and the yellow orbs softened as they looked upon her old friend. "It's good to see you again, Weiss."

With a smile Weiss stepped in and embraced her comrade, careful not to get the bouquet caught between them. As they parted Weiss saw Ruby approaching them; she was far taller now, completely different from when they had been teenagers. The red hem of her black dress brushed against her legs as she walked, her signature red cloak and hood fluttering behind her.

Weiss brought her eyes up to the other woman's face who wore a warm smile and a black eye patch embroidered with the pattern of a rose over her right eye. Blake and Yang stepped aside as the younger woman joined them, her eye fixed on Weiss, filled with kindness and warmth. Weiss stepped forward, putting most of her weight on her good leg as she raised her arms and embraced her comrade and friend.

"It's good to see you, Weiss." Ruby said, wrapping her arms around her.

"You should've come home sooner, Ruby." Weiss said. With a brief pause the two released each other. "You all should." She said looking to Blake and Yang.

"We know." Blake said. "The war may be over but there are still pockets of the White Fang's forces giving us resistance across the continent."

Yang reached out and placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder, drawing the woman's attention to her. "But it's nothing we can't handle." She said, giving her a toothy grin.

"Yang's right." Ruby agreed. "After that we'll be coming home. I promise."

Weiss looked at each of them in turn. "I'm sorry." She said after a brief moment of pause. "I'm just a little restless. We haven't seen each other for over two years and two of you," she shot Yang and Ruby a glare, "aren't very good at keeping in contact." The pair of sisters grimaced at the remark. "I swear." Weiss huffed. "Were it not for Blake I would have no clue as to what's going on out there."

"Why not just come out and admit you're lonely and you miss us?" Yang asked.

"Yang Xiao Long, I will admit to no such thing."

"Another thing," Yang began, "How come Blake and Ruby get a hug and I don't? What's up with that?"

"I've no desire to be turned into a paraplegic, thank you."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Ruby stepped in, trying to get between the pair of glaring women. "Guy's, come on." She said with a nervous smile. "It's no big deal, right sis?"

"Who's side are you on anyway?"

"She's on my side, obviously."

"Ruby, how could you betray your own sister?!"

Ruby looked to Blake with a pleading expression. "Uh, Blake," she said, "A little help?"

Blake merely folded her arms, smiling. "It's good to be home."


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss bent over as carefully as she could, leaning on her cane as she placed her flowers by the foot of the monument joining the other offerings from her friends; lit candles from Blake, a tin of sweets from Ruby and a bottle of wine from Yang. The woman straightened and stepped back to join her friends in a moment of silence.

It was this day seventeen years ago that Beacon fell and Vale was all but destroyed. Ironically it was the same day only a decade later that the reformed Vale army reclaimed their home, driving out their enemy. Due to her injury Weiss stayed in the city as her comrades forced the White Fang and what remained of the Torchwick gang into the surrounding wilderness where the war finally turned in their favor. It was a long fought battle and they had lost so much.

"Remember Cardin?" Yang asked, breaking the silence. "He was an ass." She smiled. "But he fought just as hard as any of us." The smile quickly faded.

"He was a bully," Blake said, "A jerk and he loved pushing around people weaker than him."

"Despite all those things," Ruby continued, "He fought as hard as anyone. Not just for Vale but for his friends."

Weiss planted her cane in front of her and rested both hands atop it. "He turned out a better man than I thought he would." She said.

Blake stared into the flickering flames of the candles she left. "Were he alive I think I may have grown to like him."

Ruby nodded and silence fell over them once again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Yang reach into her coat pocket and retrieve a jar of bright red liquid. The other three turned to her as she unscrewed the lid and scooped out a finger of the stuff and put it into her mouth.

She held the jar out as the others gathered around while she shuddered from the taste. "I don't know how Nora ate this stuff." She said. "It's far beyond sweet."

Ruby laughed, quickly realizing what it contained. "Remember all those years ago in Ever Fall?" She asked. "She drank two whole jars of this stuff." She scooped out some of the sticky sap with her finger.

"Her love for syrup was rivaled only by Ruby's love for cookies." Blake said, retrieving some as well.

"I don't know how the rest of JNPR kept up with that sugar junky." Weiss added.

Once everyone had some Yang knelt by the monument, placing the open jar next to everything else, setting the lid beside it. She stayed in that position for a long time, just looking down at everything.

She reached out and touched the stone structure. "I miss you." She whispered.

Ruby placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, a gesture that brought a smile to the older woman's face. Yang stood and turned to her sister and, wrapping her arms around her, hugged her tightly. Ruby put her arms around the woman as Yang held out her left arm, beckoning Blake to join. The black haired woman hesitated for a moment but quickly stepped in, putting her arms around both Ruby and Yang.

Yang looked over to Weiss, a warm smile on her face she raised her other arm, making room for her. Weiss felt something ache inside her as she watched them. For so long, both when she was a student and a soldier, she felt like she was apart from everyone else. But as she stood there she remembered how that gap had closed, when they had held each other like this once before, during a far more painful time.

Weiss' cane hit the ground and she stepped in, throwing her arms around them and feeling Yang's arm drape over her shoulders. For the first time in years she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and she held her friends even tighter.

"Weiss, are you crying?" Ruby asked, her face buried in her sister's shoulder.

Any other time she would have denied it, put up a tough front and verbally swat the 'accusation' away. But today Weiss relented.

"Yes." She answered as the tears spilled over her cheeks.

She heard Ruby chuckle. "Good." She said. "I am too."

"But it's okay." Blake said, her head pressed against Ruby's.

Yang sniffed, "We're allowed this much."


	3. Chapter 3

An airship steadily soared through the sky above the woodlands bound for Vale. A Faunus man stood at the line of windows in his office, looking down at the world with his hands behind his back, his thumb and middle finger of his right hand counting the deep red beads of the rosary wrapped around his hand. He stood there barefoot clad in a tan robe with golden sash across his shoulders, exposing a hardened stomach, a red rope-like belt keeping a pair of brown, loose-fitting slacks around his waist.

The door to his office opened yet he didn't turn to see who entered. He knew who it was.

"Yes, Vel?"

Velvet Scarlatina stood at the door, a modest brown dress wrapped around her slender frame and a yellow petticoat hiding her shoulders. Her hair was cut short and a pair of rectangular glasses rested upon her nose.

"I know I don't need to tell you," she began, seating herself in one of the armchairs before the desk that separated them, "But we'll be arriving in Vale ahead of schedule. Another hour at tops."

She watched the man's golden hair appear over his collar as a long, equally golden tail curled up from under his robe. "It's been seventeen years since you or I were in Vale." He said, a pang of regret in his voice. "I have never really known a place that I would call 'home', well, not back then at least. Tell me, how does it feel to be returning to your home town after all this time?"

Velvet watched the man's back, in the past he would have never bothered with such questions, never too keen on the subject of 'home'. She smiled to herself, thinking about how much this man had changed from when they first met.

"The colonies are my home now," she answered, "and they always will be, Master Wukong."

Sun turned where he stood, deep lines worn into his face, a line of thick, golden hair along his jaw and a playful light in his eyes that Velvet had never seen falter.

"Come now, Vel," Sun shrugged, "There's no formalities between old friends, especially old war buddies."

Velvet shook her head. "Of course," she said, "I forgot."

In truth, she hadn't forgotten. She watched as Sun pulled out his chair with his tail, wrapping his rosary around his arm as he seated himself. True, he is a bit wild at times and can get a little carried away with his drink but there was no man in this world that Velvet respected nor admired more.

"Today marks a very important day." Sun said, slouching in his seat with his hands propped on the table.

Velvet looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Seventeen years." She mused. "So much time has passed since then. It almost doesn't feel real."

"The war?"

The woman shook her head. "The days before it. Those peaceful days where my only concerns were my studies and how to avoid the bullies in my day to day routine." Her expression darkened. "I never thought that I would be on the front lines of an actual war."

"You and your fellow students trained to fight Grimm." Sun began, leaning forward. "I know the thought of fighting other people, human and Faunus alike, must have never occurred to you nor anyone else."

"Everyone except for Ozpin."

Sun paused at the remark, he knew the memory was like a fresh wound to his ambassador and friend. Many people would never forgive the headmaster of Beacon for what he did. Sun didn't know the man very well thus he found it hard to hate or blame him like the others even so long after his death.

Sun's hand went to the rosary around his arm. "Velvet." The woman looked up, hearing him speak her full name told her he was being very serious. "I've said this a number of times and I know you must be getting tired of hearing it but you need to let go. You can continue to blame a man for his decisions until his dying days, or yours for that matter, but it won't undo what has been done." He looked away from her gaze. "Though perhaps I am in no position to lecture." He ran a thumb over one of the beads. "I count the lives we have lost and the ones we have taken each day, hoping, praying for a lasting peace. I try to convince myself that what I do is for the sake of remembrance but maybe I too can not let go."

Velvet shook her head vigorously. "That's not true." She stated. "I know that you're right and that you say what you do because you worry about me. For that I'm very grateful and very, very happy." She again looked down at her hands. "I will try to forgive and forget, to follow your lead, like always."

Sun stared at her for a moment, giving her words time to sink in. As he opened his mouth to speak again he stopped when the woman reached up and slapped her cheeks with her palms. As she lowered her hands he noticed the change in her eyes.

"That's enough with the depressing talk." She said, "Today is an important day; the day the war came to an end and the day the Faunus Colonies were established."

Sun smiled at her. "As well as the day we and Vale became sworn allies against the White Fang and Cinder's forces." He nodded and grunted as if giving his approval to something. "Today is good day." He stood up and turned back to the window behind his desk. Stretching his arms out wide he clenched his fists, "Today," he spoke in commanding tone, "Is a good day!"

* * * *

Ruby seated herself at one of the outdoor tables of the cafe not far from the memorial. The establishment itself was small but the outdoor patio added extra seating, giving it's patrons the opportunity to enjoy the splendors of the park and the warm change in the weather. Among the tranquility of the trees this quiet little business seemed right at home.

"This is nice." Ruby commented as she looked about her.

"I was opposed to it at first," Weiss began, lowering herself into a chair, "I felt a cafe had no place here."

"What changed your mind?" Blake asked.

"Ren did." Weiss replied. "This is more than a place of remembrance, he said, it's a place of relaxation for everyone." She set her elbow on the table, placing her chin in her palm. "After much convincing I placed my vote as well."

"Changing your mid must have been quite the undertaking." Yang teased.

"Ren has become a very popular politician in the senate." Weiss continued, ignoring the remark. "His word often carries more weight than mine." She straightened. "You'll get to see him later at the ceremony."

"That's right," Ruby said, "That's today, isn't it?"

Weiss looked at her friend with a mixture of concern and perplexity. "I was about to ask if you were serious but I know better."

Yang removed her coat and draped it over her chair, removing her fingerless gloves and tossing them on the table. "You guys talk politics," she said, "I'll get us some drinks." She looked to Weiss. "What'll you have."

"Jasmine tea, please."

"Ruby?"

"Iced coffee for me, sis."

"Blake?"

"Milk tea."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Yang broke off from the group, turning to the building behind Blake. Weiss looked up at the woman as she left, the myriad of scars on her back had not faded over the years and some extras had been added.

"Speaking of the senate," Blake began, taking her seat, "Word down the grape vine is that you've been at odds with some of your fellow politicians."

Weiss wasn't about to ask how she knew this, the woman's knack for information was still impressive despite the fact she had spent the better part of the last two years out at sea. "Its politics." She replied. "You'll always have people you don't get along with."

"Wait, what?" Ruby asked. "What's going on?"

"From what I hear some people want you out of office." Blake added.

Weiss sighed. "It's about the StarBright system."

"The Pennys, then." Blake rationalized.

"Correct." Weiss said. "Some people believe that I'm using them as more than just assistants and work aids. Some have gone so far as accuse me of weaponizing them."

"You wouldn't do that." Ruby blurted. "Penny hated being treated like a weapon more than anything, you know this like the rest of us. Even if they aren't the real Penny I know you wouldn't turn them into weapons."

Weiss smiled at her friend. "We may know that but there are some who question otherwise." She said. "There are exactly one hundred and thirteen Pennys in the city doing everything from moderating military communications to receptionists and even airship pilots. They're a stable workforce that we needed in order to get this city back on track."

"But to accuse you of such a thing." Ruby began but her words trailed off.

"Calm down." Blake said to her. "As Weiss said that's just politics, politicians throw one another under the bus all the time. They're an underhanded and despicable lot." To Weiss. "No offense."

Weiss raised a hand. "None taken, it's true."

Yang approached their table, a tray laden with glasses and a tray of sweets. "I'm feeling a lot of negativity from our table." She said. "Do I wanna know?"

Weiss leaned back, intertwining her fingers as Yang set the tray down. "Yang," She said, "How would like to pay a few people a visit?"

Yang caught the tone in her voice and played along, giving her a mischievous grin. "Same plan as last time?" She asked.

"Don't kill them." Weiss said cooly, drawing a concerned look from Ruby. "Just make them hurt."

Yang stood straight, raising her hands and curling them into fists. "Oh, I can do that."

Ruby planted her hands on the table and stood quickly. "You're joking." She looked from her sister to Weiss. "You're joking. Right?"

Weiss gave a cold chuckle. "Don't worry, Ruby." She said. "It's only politics."

Ruby continued to look on at her comrades with a look of worry and disbelief as Blake retrieved her cup from the tray. With saucer in hand she raised the cup to her lips and sipped the light brown liquid.

"You guys know how to put on an act." She said.


	4. Chapter 4

A pair of Penny's dressed in black suits and ties opened the set of doors to the conference room at Weiss' approach. The room beyond was long with an arched ceiling, a painting of the old Vale cityscape adorning the wall to her right and a line of windows lining the other. Weiss entered with her assistant behind her, stopping at the head of the large, polished oak table where Velvet sat at one of the many chairs with Sun standing behind her by the window.

Velvet rose and gave a polite bow as Sun motioned to the city beyond the window. "I will never get tired of seeing this sight." He turned away to face the painting opposite him. "Seventeen years ago this city was a ruin. Now look at it."

"That's the result when people pull together as a nation." Weiss said. She walked over to the pair as Sun turned to face her, offering her hand to the wise leader as she stopped before him. "It's good to see you. Both of you."

Sun shook her hand and stepped aside as Velvet hugged the other woman. "It's good to be back." The Faunus woman said.

Weiss returned the embrace with a squeeze. "Welcome back, Velvet."

After the two women parted the trio took their seats, Sun and Velvet on one side and Weiss on the other with Penny standing behind her. The Vale chancellor placed her briefcase beside her, pushing it aside as she settled into her chair.

"I'm told you've been away on business in the eastern kingdom." Sun began. "Politician, diplomat, war hero and the head of the world's leading provider of dust." The man chuckled, "You've quite the resume, Weiss."

Weiss smiled to herself. "I've needed to grow into many roles over the years." She said. "My primary purpose for traveling east was to ascertain the position of our neighboring kingdom; would they shelter our enemies or would they side with us and turn them in?"

"And?" Sun asked. "What did you learn?"

"They have no interest in our conflicts." Weiss replied. "Although they took a long and round about way of saying it."

"They were probably waiting to see if Vale would fall," Sun reasoned, "Then they would invade and annihilate the weakened forces that remained."

"Such is the game nations play." Weiss replied. She took a breath, "All this ugly talk aside," she began, "Did you get a chance to look over the revised treaty?"

On cue Velvet removed a bundle of papers from her signature case seated on the floor and set them on the table. "We received a copy upon landing." She said.

"Everything is as we agreed upon." Sun nodded. "It is the same as the original, with a few minor changes. Understandable given our situations as well as the way of our world."

"Then we are agreed." Weiss said. She let out a sigh and smiled, "All that's left is the flair and hype and we can actually sign the thing."

Sun let out a barking laugh. "Isn't that the truth!" He slapped the table with a heavy hand. "Despite the political display the signing of this treaty and this ceremony itself is more than just flair."

"I know." Weiss replied. "This is something of great importance for everyone in Vale and the Southern Colonies. Politicians care about treaties and paperwork, the people just want peace and a sign that the powers that be are listening to them." She looked Sun in the eye. "Let's let them know we hear their words loud and clear."

* * *

Crowds of people filed into the Vale stadium, filling the stands and the open floor before the stage set up at the northern end. Today's event was an important one and everyone who could wanted to be present while those who couldn't watched by broadcast.

Ruby stood on the stadium floor by the exit, looking up at the open sky above as people passed her by.

"You look lost in thought."

She dropped her gaze as Yang propped herself up against the wall beside her.

"I was people watching," Ruby said, "Though I think I kinda dozed off."

"Day dreaming this early in the afternoon?" Her sister asked. "You must be out of it." She looked towards the stage. "On a different note," she began, "Why are we the only ones who don't get a seat on stage?"

"Well, Weiss is the chancellor after all." Ruby replied, following her sister's eyes to the stage. "She has to be up there and Blake was the one who proposed the treaty in the first place so her seat is honorary." She looked over the podium and chair lined up behind it. "Politicians get priority over military heads and personal friends."

"Professionalism, some would say. "Yang added. She folded her arms behind her head, "Well, whatever."

"Excuse me." A young Faunus man approached the pair, a look of admiration on his face. "You wouldn't happen to be Commander Yang Xiao Long, would you?"

"Yeah," Yang replied, lowering her arms and standing straight, "That's me."

The young man's yes shone as his smile broadened. "I knew it." He said, elated. "I know you probably don't remember but you save me back when the White Fang attacked the colonies. You carried my father and I out of our house as it burned down around us."

"Wait," Yang began, "That was you?" She looked him over. "Talk about a growth spurt, you were a kid back then."

"I can't believe you remember." He said "I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am. My father and I both." Other passerby began to turn towards them as the man spoke of Yang's heroics that day. "My father hated humans more than anything," He continued, "But after what you did, putting your life on the line for us like that, changed him for life."

Another Faunus, a woman this time, approached Ruby from the crowd of eyes. "Ma'am," she addressed her, "You're General Rose, right?"

Ruby stepped away from the wall. "I am."

The woman smiled. "If you don't mind, could I shake your hand? If it's alright with you, of course."

Ruby returned the smile and extended her hand which the woman shook with both her own. More and more people gathered around them, human and Faunus alike, each thanking or praising the two women. Their actions during the war, actions they thought were just a part of their duty, were something far greater to these people. It was meeting people like these that reminded them why they fought that long and terrible war.

Through the crowd Yang's eyes caught something, a man in a hooded sweatshirt. But more than that she noticed his eyes; a pair of orbs filled with murderous intent, glaring at them. She watched as he turned away and disappear into the crowd, his hands shoved into his pockets.

She looked back to the people around her. "Sorry, everyone," she said, "I have some business to attend to."

"Something wrong, sis?" Ruby asked.

Yang looked back to the crowd. "I think I saw a fox."

The younger woman watched her sister gave her a playful wink and proceeded to wade through the ocean of people. Ruby returned her attention to those who still stood around her, keeping a kind face and calm demeanor.

'A fox'. That was the term they used for a disguised enemy.

* * *

Behind the stage several Penny's moved about alongside technicians, ensuring power was running to the P.A. system and speakers. Curtains ran from the back wall of the stage itself to the stands behind it, forming makeshift walls that hid all the activity from the audience. The stadium was filled to capacity and all the important figures required were gathered.

Sun stood off to the side as he watched everyone work. He turned his head to the sound of Weiss's cane as the woman approached him.

"Sudden urge for fresh air?" She asked, standing beside him.

"Perhaps I'm just antsy." He replied, looking back to the workforce.

"Perhaps. You've never been one to sit still." Weiss remarked.

"Master Wukong."

Both Sun and Weiss looked to their right as two men walked over to them, carrying a long and heavy looking trunk between them. They stopped just before the two leaders and set their burden down with a dull and hollow sound.

"Miss Scarlatina told us you wanted this back here." One of the men said, rolling his shoulder.

"Yes, thank you very much." Sun replied and dismissed the two with a nod.

"Sun," Weiss began once the men were out of earshot, "You didn't."

"One must always be prepared." Sun replied, turning to her. "I would like to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it."

Weiss let out a long sigh. "It's not like I can tell you that you can't." She said. The woman tapped her cane on the ground, "Not that I disagree with you by any means."

"I pray there will come a day that I will no longer need this." Sun said, running a hand over the trunk's lid.

"Perhaps one day." Weiss said. "Maybe it won't be in our lifetime or, then again, maybe it will be. But for now let's focus on what we can change and focus on the rest later."

Sun turned away from the trunk. "Agreed." He nodded.

* * *

The crowd cheered as the line of Vale's governing powers walked up on stage with Weiss and Sun taking up the rear. After taking their seats each politician took a turn going up to the podium to say a few words, words that honestly fell on deaf ears as everyone was more interested in the last pair of speakers. Ruby stood among the crowd, her eye on the stage while searching for any other threat or potential one. She had lost sight of Yang a while ago and hoped that the 'fox' she had seen just turned out to be nothing. The roar of the crowd tore her away from her thoughts as Weiss rose from her seat and stepped up to the podium with Sun closely behind her.

Weiss stood before the podium, her cane before her and both hands resting atop it. "Citizens of Vale," her voice was firm and commanding yet gentle and empathetic, "I would like to personally thank each one of you who chose to be here on this very important day and I would also like to thank those who could not be here in person but still watch via our broadcasting system." She paused as she looked over the crowd before her. "Thank you very much."

The crowd roared with applause and cheers and Ruby caught herself smiling from ear to ear. Weiss was popular with the citizens, it was thanks to her that Vale was rebuilt in the first place. The woman clapped loudly and gave her own cheer.

"Before we continue much farther," Weiss continued, her voice quieting the audience, "I would like to take this time and have Master Wukong, leader of the Southern Colonies as well as a personal friend of mine, say a few words."

With a nod to Sun Weiss stepped away from the podium as Sun stepped forward with the sounds of yet another wave of cheers. He stood before the podium offering a short bow to Weiss and then to the audience. Placing both hands on the podium he leaned forward into the microphone.

"Today is a good day." He began. "Seventeen years ago each and every one of us gathered here were chased from our home, our country, and forced to flee for our lives. At that time everything seemed hopeless, we felt that we were done for, that there was nothing we could do." He looked out at the faces that stared back at him, some nodding with agreement and some wiping away tears. "But on that day I saw something, something in the eye of one of my closest friends. 'This is not the end of us', she said, 'we will rebuild Vale'. I was awestruck by the strength of this woman and how she shared that strength with each of us, giving us hope once again.

"It was thanks to her and her team that I am who I am today and it was thanks to her that the Southern Colonies, a refuge for Faunus seeking an escape from the war, remains to this day." He tightened his grip on the podium. "It was humans like her that repelled the White Fang on that most heinous day the colonies were attacked. On that day all those years ago I watched as humans and Faunus stood united as one and stood their ground against impossible odds. It is because of humans and Faunus like them, those who didn't care about something as trivial as race, that we can stand here today and celebrate like this. And so, as leader of the Southern Colonies and as Sun Wukong himself," he straightened and threw himself in a deep bow, "I offer my sincerest gratitude!"

The crowd erupted, a wave of energy coursing through each person as they applauded and cheered at the top of their lungs. Sun straightened and turned to the politicians behind him, offering them the same bow as they applauded him from their seats. After straightening once again, Sun nodded to Weiss as he stepped away from the podium, allowing Weiss to return.

As she began to speak Ruby saw someone pushing their way through the crowd, making their way towards the stage. Sun saw the same thing, a man in a hooded sweatshirt was making his way close to Weiss, his right hand shoved in his pocket. Not wanting to cause a panic Sun took a step forward, keeping close to Weiss and ready for anything. He knew the woman to right saw the man but she carried on with her speech all the same.

The man pushed through a row of people, drawing a number of complaints from those around him, and once he felt he was close enough he placed a hand on the person in front of him and shoved them aside. Weiss watched as the man pulled a gun from his pocket, raising it level with his eye line and holding it aloft with one hand. She knew he couldn't miss from this distance and it was obvious he knew as well.

With his finger on the trigger the man shouted with a look of evil intent in his eyes. "Die, Schnee!"

His voice was drowned out as the sound of gunfire echoed out through the stadium, closely followed by panicked screams.


	5. Chapter 5

Gunfire rang out through the stadium, stopping Ruby in her tracks as she pushed through the crowd towards the stage. Sun stood before Weiss, putting himself between her and the assailant while Blake stood among the politicians behind them with her arm tucked behind her and her ears trained forward. The audience surged in a wave of panic, rushing for the exits in a chaotic scramble.

Weiss' eyes went from Sun to the assailant and to the burning blond mane that stood before him. Yang stood with her hand clamped over the gun's muzzle, faint wisps of smoke slipping through her fingers and a thin line of blood trailing down her wrist.

The woman looked at the gunman with red eyes, a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Nope."

Pulling the gun and his arm with it, Yang threw the man off balance as she pulled her free arm back. Her gauntlet extended and snapped into place, loading a live round as she brought her fist forward, striking her opponent in the stomach. The man left the ground with a thunderous ring, releasing his weapon and sailing back several feet.

Yang watched him crash to the ground as she tossed the gun aside. The area before the stage was now clear save for the attacker, Yang herself and Ruby as she rushed to her side.

"You alright, sis?"

The blond woman shook her hand. "Just a flesh wound." She replied. "Heads up," she nodded passed her sister, "There's more where he came from."

Ruby looked to the retreating crowd as more people, men and women, dressed in heavier clothing raced towards them with weapons in hand. Her eye went from the advancing group to another batch as they leapt from the stands. They were unorganized, she noted, they weren't soldiers by any means. So who were they?

"Ruby!" The woman looked back to the stage where Blake stood at Weiss' side. "There are gunmen in the stands!" The admiral shouted to her. "Take them out before civilians get caught in the crossfire!"

Ruby nodded, reaching behind her and drawing her weapon. "Roger that!" She replied, extending her scythe into it's full form. "I'm on it!"

"And you can just leave these small fry to me!" Yang shouted, thrusting her other arm out to the side and extending her other gauntlet.

With a nod passing between them the two sisters took off, Ruby disappearing with a whirl of her cloak and a cloud of rose petals and Yang taking off at a dead sprint towards the two advancing groups. Weiss looked over the panicked crowd as they struggled to get over or passed one another. She knew the men behind her were little better as she listened to their footsteps signaling their all too hasty retreat.

"Chancellor!"

Weiss turned away from the spectacle before her and to her assistant who approached with two more of her look-a-likes in toe. "Penny," Weiss began, "See to it all civilians are evacuated safely. Spread the word to the others and have someone by the exits."

The two Pennys behind her assistant snapped to attention. "We're on it, Chancellor."

Weiss then turned to the remaining Penny. "Where are the police in all this?"

"They're engaging an unknown enemy force outside the stadium." She replied, her scroll in hand. "Whoever they are they managed to keep us separated from reinforcements."

"Over there! Get 'em!"

Weiss tore her attention away from her assistant as another small group charged the stage. Penny stepped forward as if she intended to defend Weiss but a flurry of movement from Sun stopped her. The wise leader removed his robe with a flourish, exposing his bare torso and tossing the article aside.

"Looks like these boys need to be taught a lesson." He said. "Vel, now!"

On command a loud crack resonated from behind stage and something shot up into the air. As the first of the hostile group drew closer, Sun slammed his right palm into the podium, sending the stand flying forward and crashing into the unfortunate man. Sun then stepped off the stage, striding forward as the group fanned out before him. He eyed each one of them, raising a fist to his jaw and pushing his head to one side resulting in a series of loud pops from his neck.

"Alright," he said, "Let's play."

At that moment the ground beside him erupted in a thunderous explosion of concrete, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Sun reached into the cloud and tipped a large, pillar-like weapon as long as he was tall and as big around as his own chest, onto his shoulder. With simple shrug he spun the bright red pillar across his torso, holding it against the back of his waist with one arm he widened his stance and raised his free hand, beckoning his enemies forward.

A sword wielding man glanced at his comrades before charging the leader, his arm drawn back in clumsy form. Sun stepped forward, striking out with the back of his wrist and striking the attacker in the throat, staggering him. Sun turned where he stood, bringing one of the gold-capped ends of his weapon around and planting it in the man's chest, sending him flying backward and into one of his comrades.

Learning from the first failure the rest of the group charged as one, relying on sheer numbers in hopes to overwhelm the warrior. Sun carried through his turn, throwing his weapon across his back in a wide arc and bringing it down upon one of his attackers, flattening a woman then hefting the weapon in a wide swing and toppling three others who converged on his left. Again, following through with the momentum, Sun turned with his swing, passing his weapon across his abdomen and to his left arm.

* * *

Yang glanced over her shoulder at the sound of Sun's weapon crashing to the ground. She saw how quickly he dispatched the first five enemies and carried on to the others.

"Looks like the Monkey King still has it." She chuckled.

"Don't turn your back on us, blondie!"

Without turning Yang struck out with her elbow, catching a Faunus man in the nose with a crack. She dropped low, sweeping his legs out from under him and catching him with one hand she threw the man aside like he was weightless. She straightened, tossing her hair over her shoulders as her burning eyes looked over the still bodies she had already accumulated.

"I have a name, boys." She began, turning to face the remainder of her attackers. "Sorry," she said, noticing a few women in the group, "Boys and girls." She widened her stance, pulled her arms back and bent her knees. "Haven't guessed it yet? How about a hint?"

One man nervously stepped to the side, trying to inch away from her. His allies, on the other hand, didn't back down. Yang's hair erupted in flames, her amethyst eyes changing to a bright red as she thrust her fists forward. Before anyone could react a torrent of flames roared forth from her fists, swallowing her enemies save for the one man who had the sense to back off. He watched as the geyser ceased and the flames dispersed into patches of cinders across the ground.

The man looked to where his comrades had once stood only to find them piled against one another, their clothes and skin scorched and blackened. He looked back to the blond woman as she straightened, the fire disappearing from her hair and her eyes returning to their former color.

"You can't be serious." The man stammered.

He backed away from the woman until his back hit the wall behind him, she had pushed them back to the other end already. He raised the gun in his hands, trying to aim despite his shaking. As he stared down the barrel at the smiling woman before him he saw something out of the corner of his eye, an unconscious body of one of his comrades thrown down from the stands above him. He was about to look up when he felt something cold touch his neck.

His eyes trailed down, glimpsing the curving blade that caressed his chin. "It would be best if you dropped that." He looked up at the sound of the voice to find Ruby over him in the stands, her scythe in hand.

The man released his weapon, raising his hands in surrender.

* * *

From the stage Blake watched as Yang charged headlong into the oncoming horde, leaping into the air and lashing out with a brutal knee strike that put her first opponent down before he even knew it. Blake found herself cringing as her friend landed only to leave the ground a second later as she vaulted over one of her attackers, placing her hands on the woman's shoulders and twisting in mid air to take her off her feet and slamming her into the concrete.

The admiral's attention was pulled to the new wave of foes that charged them, their advance halted as Sun himself entered the battle. Up in the stands she saw Ruby appearing and disappearing in a flurry of rose petals as she dealt with the gunmen in the stands at an astonishing speed. As the battle continued on Blake felt something rise up inside her, a strange rush she hadn't felt for years.

The sound of footsteps drew her attention to the other side of the stage where four men climbed up, swords and clubs in hand. Blake turned to face them fully as the last one climbed up, a look of confidence on their faces like they had the upper hand. Blake reached up with one hand and loosened her tie and collar, letting out a deep breath.

"You're dead now, Schnee." One of the men snarled as he flung himself into a run with his comrades behind him.

Blake dropped her hand, took a breath and stepped forward. With blinding speed the black haired woman closed the gap between her and the first man, seemingly materializing before him in the blink of an eye, her weapons in hand. Before he could even react Blake struck out twice, stepping past him to the second man, she hit him in the neck. She turned on her heel, moving around him and lashing out at the third man at his side with two consecutive strikes. Moving onward she stepped up to the last of the group, seemingly walking passed him as she rained a trio of blows upon him.

Blake took a stopped only a single stride beyond the quartet, her weapons at her sides she exhaled. The four men fell as if in mid stride, collapsing in a jumbled heap. Blake turned back, set to return to Weiss' side when her ears snapped backward. She looked over her shoulder as a woman appeared over the edge of the stage, a rifle in hand and trained on the admiral. Just as the woman's finger touched the trigger Blake disappeared, drawing a startled gasp from her.

"You're wide open."

The woman whirled around, her rifle up and a yelp escaping her lips. Blake stood mere feet from her, her arms like blurs as her blades bit into the metal of the weapon, slicing clean through. The woman could only watch as her weapon soon turned into little more than worthless chunks of metal clattering around her feet. She released what was left as Blake stepped back, her right sword in it's pistol form and aimed for the woman's forehead. The woman's teeth chattered as she stared at what she believed was her death but Blake simply lashed out with the butt of her gun, striking the woman across the temple and sending her into blackness.

Weiss stood atop the stage with her assistant behind her. Their attackers were falling like flies and now not a single civilian remained in the stadium, she was contented that she had done her job as a servant to the people.

"Ma'am," Penny began, "I just received a report that all civilians have been safely evacuated."

"And the police?" Weiss asked without facing her assistant.

"They have successfully captured the enemy force." Penny replied. "They suffered only a few casualties and no deaths have been reported on either side."

Weiss nodded to herself. "Good." She said. "Even if they are attacking with the intent to kill I won't tolerate any further blood shed."

Penny's vacant eyes looked out over the settling conflict and each combatant who stood among the unconscious forms. "It looks like they're having fun." She said.

Weiss couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face. "This reminds me of the Vytal tournament." She said. "The three of them," she looked to Blake who was binding the hands of the men she had just dealt with, "Even Blake had more fun then than the rest of the year put together." She turned where she stood, looking passed Penny. "Even I have to admit I enjoyed myself the most during that series of bouts."

She raised her cane in her left hand, the cylinder a quarter of the way down turning and glowing blue. She grabbed Penny's arm and pulled the assistant behind her as she drove the cane's end into the stage. The air resounded with a loud crack as ice rushed forward from the cane itself. As Penny regained her footing she saw three men, armed with handguns, frozen where they stood, their eyes darting this way and that in confusion.

"Fools." She said, releasing Penny. "Don't think for a minute that you stood any chance against me. I didn't earn the title of Ice Witch just because of my name."

* * *

"The attack that interrupted today's ceremony was suppressed within mere minutes of it's beginning. Thirty-four men and women, human and Faunus both, were arrested, some with moderate injuries. Chief Arc of the Vale Police Department says it was thanks to the combined efforts of our Chancellor Weiss Schnee and the Southern Colonies leader, Master Sun Wukong, that this attack was put to an end without and civilian casualties. We of course have the efforts of Chief Arc and the VPD to thank as they were locked in a firefight with another group of attackers who tried to prevent the police from entering the stadium. In other news-"

The holographic screen went blank and vanish from the window as Yang tossed the remote aside, throwing her arms over the back of the couch she was seated in. "Blah blah blah, we know." She said. "We were there."

"Whatever their intention," Blake began, seated in an armchair across the coffee table from Yang, "They failed. Though they may have disrupted the ceremony the treaty was signed and broadcasted just as planned. Ahead of schedule, actually."

The two women sat in the living room of Weiss' home, a rather large manor that was quite fitting for someone of her status yet still humble at the same time. It was late evening now and they had long since shed their regular clothes, switching to nightwear. Yang wore a yellow tank top and bicycle shorts while Blake was dressed in a black nightgown and slippers. Weiss' home had rooms for each of them and despite past denials and assurances from her it was obvious she had the manor built so the other three could stay over at any time.

"But doesn't it bother you?" Yang asked, leaning forward and resting her arms on he knees. "We got nothing out of them. Even the one you questioned only said 'we were hired to kill Schnee'. We don't know who hired them and a few of them refused to talk no matter what." She scratched at her golden mane. "Some of them seem to legitimately hate Weiss."

"It's not all that surprising."

Yang turned in her seat as Weiss entered the room from the arched doorway behind her. She was dressed in white pajamas and slippers, wearing her still-glistening hair down and a towel slung over her shoulders.

"A number of people hate me." She said, making her way to another armchair set around the coffee table. "It comes with being a politician and a former military commander." She carefully seated herself, relying on her cane as much as possible. "I've done things and made choices in the past that have earned me a fair number of enemies."

"Yeah, that's true," Yang began, "But that goes for all of us. Ruby herself has been called the 'Crimson Reaper' and I've single handedly put down entire hideouts of enemy troops."

Weiss propped her cane against her chair as she took up her towel and began patting her hair. Blake left her seat and stood behind her friend, taking the towel from her without any resistance and began drying the woman's hair.

"What Weiss is trying to say," Blake began, "Is that it's nothing to get too worked up over. This isn't the first time someone has tried to kill her, after all."

"Wait, seriously?!" Yang exclaimed, a look of shock on her face.

"Where have you been?" Weiss asked. "It was all over the new the first time it happened."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Yang held up a hand. "The 'first' time?" She asked. "As in this has happened multiple times?"

"Do you ever read the letters I send you?" Blake asked. "When this happened a third time I wrote to you explaining what had happened. Ruby left her post, risking serious punishment and raced back here to check up on Weiss after it happened."

Yang threw her arms up, slouching in her seat. "Alright, I'm a terrible friend." She said. "I'm sorry. I'll make sure to look through my mail and read your letters."

"You should always look through your mail." Weiss scolded. "You're a general for crying out loud, Yang. Honestly."

Yang held up an arm. "Ruby," she whined, "Where are you? Come protect your big sis."

"Ruby is taking her bath now." Weiss replied, closing her eyes as Blake continued to dry her hair. "We may as well pass the time with some conversation while you wait for your turn. We can talk about your lack of communication."

"Let's not."

"Your lack of sense of responsibility as well."

"You're not helping, Blake!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Who hired you?" A member of the earlier attack sat at a metal table within one of the police station's interrogation rooms, hands cuffed and a light trained on him. "Still not talking?" The officer seated across from him asked. "This will go much easier for you if you talk to us." Still silent. "Or we can just sit here until morning."

Jaune stood outside the room, looking in through the mirrored window. He let out a deep sigh running a hand over his face and scratching at the stubble lining his jaw. The war had changed him, he was far larger now as far as muscle mass was concerned and a scar marred the left side of his chin.

He pulled at the gold tie around his neck as he pushed his other hand into the pocket of his dark jeans. This interrogation was going nowhere just like the investigation itself. He wondered if he would even get to go home or if he would be sleeping here tonight.

The door to his right opened and a uniformed officer stepped in. "Excuse me, chief," he said, "Councilman Lark is here, sir."

"Sky?" Jaune asked. "That's unusual. Have him meet me in my office."

"Actually, sir," the officer began, "Mister Lark is right here."

He stepped aside as Sky Lark entered the room. Dressed in a brown suit and his long silver hair now short and trimmed, he looked nothing like he used to. Now a respected member of the council Sky was among the governing body of Vale, a role that he would have had no interest in back when they were attending Beacon.

"Sorry for just showing up, Jaune." He apologized. "I wanted to see how things were going here personally."

Jaune motioned to the window. "As you may have guessed; slow." He said. He looked to the officer, "I'll take care of the councilman," he said to him, "You're dismissed."

With a brief salute the man left, shutting the door behind him. Sky stood beside Jaune, watching the one sided conversation on the other side of the glass. The man in handcuffs kept his eyes on the table and ignored most of what the officer was saying to him. It was clear he intended to keep his silence no matter what.

"Have they all been like this?" Sky asked.

"Some talk." Jaune replied. "After hearing the laundry list of crimes they can be charged with some go so far as to recite their entire life's story."

"But nothing of any real use?"

"Nothing. They don't know who hired them, they were supplied with weapons and told to kill Weiss and anyone who got in the way. In exchange they were promised a rather large payout. From what little we have gotten out of them none have even seen their employer. They stuck to the shadows and used drop off points for the weapons and orders."

"What about the attackers themselves?"

"They're all human and Faunus from across Vale and the Colonies alike. They have no real connection to one another and only a hand full have had any affiliations to the White Fang or Torchwick's lot."

"A rag tag group no matter how you look at it." The councilman said. "It's no wonder they failed."

"Even so, if it wasn't for Ren I most likely would have lost some good men today." Jaune said. "He was with me before everything began and it was he who discovered the ambush and alerted us to it."

"His skills remain as sharp as ever, despite the time he's spent at a desk. Indeed we are truly fortunate."

"But of course they were just a distraction." Jaune continued. "They forced us into a fight in order to keep us from getting inside the stadium. Whoever hired them planned this out quite well and if they had hired some better help then everything may have played out as intended."

Sky put a hand to his chin. "But what exactly was this mastermind after?" He asked. "It may sound horrible of me to say but killing Weiss would honestly achieve nothing. If anything the people would turn her into a martyr."

"I'm inclined to agree." Jaune said. "If they wanted to hurt the Vale government as a whole then they would have targeted everyone on stage." He shook his head. "No, this was on a personal level." He reasoned. "Whoever hired these men and women were after Weiss and Weiss alone. That much is certain."

Sky lowered his hand. "That rules out terrorism then but we still have some unknown party pulling the strings. And what about Weiss? Is she somewhere safe?"

"There's nothing to worry about there." The other man chuckled. "She has three of the best bodyguards anyone could ever have and she's nowhere near the helpless woman some make her out to be."

Sky laughed light heartedly. "Then I pity anyone who even thinks of going after her now." The man took a deep breath and let it out. He reached up and patted the Vale police chief on the shoulder. "I'll be taking my leave then." He said.

Jaune nodded. "Alright." He watched as the man made his way to the door. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Think nothing of it." Sky answered, opening the door. "I'm just a nosey man. You be sure to get home at some point." He said. "I'm sure your wife and son are waiting for you to come back."

With that the councilman shut the door behind him leaving Jaune alone again. He raised his left hand and looked at the silver band around his ring finger, thoughts of his family filling his head. He lowered his hand again, knowing his night was far from over. He had a job to do.

"Sorry, Pyrrha," He said, "I'm going to be more than a little late tonight."

* * *

Blake stood before the mirror in her room, buttoning up her white shirt to the collar and then her cuffs. She picked up her black tie and began looping it around her neck when she paused. She thought about it for a moment before tossing the article aside and unbuttoning her collar, deciding she didn't need to be in full uniform today.

She left her room and made her way through the Schnee household, the light of dawn shining through the arched windows that dotted the hallway. She saw Yang out in the garden, dressed in exercise clothes she threw a series of punches and kicks as she went through her routine shadow boxing.

Blake just smiled at her training junky of a friend and continued on, making her way towards the kitchen. Weiss' house wasn't overly large yet it was still a short walk to the kitchen where she found Penny, this one dressed in a pair of plain black slacks and a white button down much like Blake herself, moving about the granite counters.

She noticed Blake walk in immediately and turned to face her. "Good morning, admiral." She greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, Penny," Blake replied, "Thanks."

"I'm afraid I must ask you to wait a bit longer." She began, watching the woman walk to the coffee machine on the central counter. "I'm just now beginning to prepare breakfast."

"That's alright." Blake retrieved a mug from the white cabinets above and filled it from the bubbling pot before her. "I can say that at least one of us is still in bed right now."

"You mean General Rose, ma'am?" Penny asked. "Should I have someone wake her?"

"No, that's fine. Leave her be. She deserves to sleep in once in a while."

"Understood, ma'am."

"Is Weiss awake?" Blake asked, taking up her mug.

"The chancellor is in her study with Councilman Lie Ren." Penny replied. Blake saw her eyes light up as strands of digital text raced across her green eyes. "Correction," she began, "The chancellor and councilman are now making their way towards the living room."

"So Ren was here." Blake said more than asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Penny answered all the same. "The councilman pays the chancellor numerous visits."

"Oh?" Blake hummed, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Does Weiss leave with Ren frequently?"

"On occasion, yes. The councilman has invited her out to dinner or lunch quite frequently as of late and I have noticed that the chancellor very rarely refuses." Penny tilted her head slightly, taking a more inquisitive posture. "Does this interest you, ma'am?"

"It does, actually." Blake replied. "Tell me more."

* * *

Weiss tossed a bound folder of papers onto the coffee table before her as she seated herself in her armchair. "The investigation has hit a snag then." She said, eyeing the folder containing profiles of each of her attackers from yesterday.

"They were equipped with outdated weaponry, all modified to the conceal the manufacturer."

Seated on the couch to her left was Ren, dressed in a long jade shirt with black sleeves and slacks he looked more like the owner of an upscale restaurant than a politician. His long ponytail coiled around him where he sat, his black hair now longer than Weiss' own.

"If they were military trained we would have had an actual fight on our hands." Ren said.

Weiss leaned back in her seat, tapping a finger on the armrest. She thought out every possible suspect both inside Vale and outside and even within her own cabinet. Even those who made a point to butt heads with her on a daily basis weren't reckless enough to try something like this.

She waved a hand in a dismissive manner. "To hell with it." She said. "The police have the ones who attacked us and for now everything seems to be calming down again. I hate to say this but we don't have many options."

"The do nothing approach then?" Ren asked, folding his arms. "Perhaps that would be best."

"There's little risk to civilians." Weiss continued. "We know that I'm the one those hooligans were after."

"So we sit quietly and wait for our opponent to make the next move." Ren rationalized. "Lie and wait."

"It's all we can do." Weiss sighed. "I'm sorry," she said, "With all of this we will have to postpone our dinner."

Ren smiled. "Not to worry. Your safety comes first."

"I still feel bad and after all the planning you seemed to put into tonight."

"There will always be another time."

A silence fell over the pair, a calm where no more words were needed. They looked to one another and knew that nothing else needed to be said.

"You two seem to be getting along well."

Weiss physically jerked in her chair, bringing her eyes up as Blake stood in the doorway behind Ren. She leaned against the frame, mug in hand and a look of enjoyment on her face. Weiss cursed herself for not noticing sooner yet she knew that the other woman could have hid in the middle of the room and no one would have noticed her.

"How long have you been there?" Weiss asked quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Since the whole 'postpone our dinner' remark." She replied, leaving the doorway and making her way to the empty armchair to Weiss' right. "Didn't know you had plans tonight." She looked to Ren. "It's nice to see you again, Ren." She said. "Have you been well?"

Ren nodded. "I have, thank you. It's been a while since you were last in town."

"So what was this about a dinner?" Blake asked.

"Nothing." Weiss replied before Ren could, drawing another smile from the man. "We were going to discuss to work related issues."

"Sounded more personal than that." Blake pressed. "But if that's the case then you guys must have a lot to talk about, what with the amount of time you two seem to be spending together."

Weiss felt her ears flush. "How do yo know that?"

"Penny told me." Came the simple answer. "All depends on who you ask and how." She took a sip form her mug, her yellow eyes never leaving the pair. "So Ren," she began, "What're your intentions with our Weiss?"

"That is none of your business!" Weiss exclaimed, her face now a deep shade of red.

* * *

The morning light trailed in through the cracked curtains, falling squarely on Ruby's face. She stirred from her sleep, throwing and arm over her eye as she stretched out her legs under the sheets. She reached up towards the ceiling as she opened her eye, blinking away sleep and throwing her arms out to the sides. She rolled over onto her stomach and pushed herself up onto her knees where she sat, drowsiness still clinging to her. She was dressed in a red shirt and black pajama pants, her eye patch laying on the bed side table.

She slid herself to the edge of bed and stood up, straightening her body and reached up towards the ceiling again as she stretched. She pushed herself up onto her toes and fell forward, catching herself before hitting the floor and immediately lowering herself into several push-ups.

After going through a short routine of exercises Ruby left the floor, rolling her shoulders and now fully awake as she went to the bathroom at the far end of her room. She pushed the door open and stepped into the bright white room as the light flicked on at her entry. Every room had it's own bathroom but only one had an actual bath built in to it, yet these personal wash closets were still lavishly designed.

Ruby filled up the sink with cold water, lifting up handfuls to her face, careful of her missing eye. She washed away what little sweat she worked up before retrieving the white towel on the wall and patting down her face. As she lowered the towel, draping it over her shoulders, she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was getting long, she needed to get it cut again and past experience told her not to ask Yang this time. She reached up and brushed her bangs aside, further revealing the gaping and scarred hole in her face where her eye once sat. She gently touched the discolored skin around it, tracing her fingers up to where her eyebrow once was. This was what she got for complacency, she thought. This was what happened when you were naive, when you weren't ready to be the defender you were supposed to be. She remembered the humiliation of her defeat that day and the look of enjoyment on Cinder's face as she took Ruby's eye with her own hand.

Ruby shook her head, making her bangs fall back into place and ridding herself of that memory. She hung up the towel and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her as she went to the curtain. A knock at the door stopped her in her tracks and she turned toward the wooden portal only a few feet from the bathroom door.

"It's open," she said loud enough for the person on the other side to hear.

The brass handle turned and the door swung open slowly revealing Penny, one dressed in a maid's uniform, on the other side. She gave Ruby a polite bow and entered the room, turning to shut the door behind her.

"Morning, Penny." Ruby said cheerfully, returning her attention to the curtains.

No response came.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" The woman asked, throwing the curtains open and basking in the sunlight. She breathed in deeply. "I can just tell today is going to be a good day."

Again, no response.

"What's the matter?" Ruby chuckled. "Don't tell me you're still half asleep, are you?"

She turned to face her guest only to see a blur of movement racing towards her. Ruby managed to turn fully as Penny soon stood before her, a kitchen knife in hand and arcing for her chest. The woman let her training take over and she quickly responded to the unlikely threat, raising an arm that batted away her attacker's own. She stepped in and slid her leg between Penny's, planting her shoulder in her stomach and grabbing her arm.

Penny left the ground as Ruby threw her, keeping a hold of her arm and slamming the maid into the floor. With a twist Ruby disarmed her assailant, Penny lay on the floor, expressionless and looking up at her. Ruby saw a string of text roll across those blank eyes and watched as she raised her other arm. Fabric ripped and tore loudly as Penny's free arm opened down it's length and a long, single edged blade extended through her palm

With a flash of steel a shallow red line appeared on Ruby's cheek and she was forced to release Penny as she lashed out, backing away several paces. Penny drew her legs in and kicked out, throwing herself back onto her feet. She turned to face Ruby, her other sleeve tearing open as another blade extended from within her arm. Ruby felt blood trailing down her chin and neck but her eye never left the look-a-like of her old friend before her.

"How?" She breathed. "The Pennys aren't supposed to be weaponized. What's going on?"

Penny held out her arms to either side of her, lowering herself as she prepared to charge. Ruby had nothing to defend herself with, the only weapon at her disposal was the kitchen knife between them and she knew making a dive for it would mean her death. Her thoughts swirled around in confusion and yet despite her advantage Penny did not attack.

Ruby watched her as Penny's body began to tremble, white fluid started trickling out of her eyes, nose and mouth. A serious of clicks rang out from her and the blades fell free, clattering to the floor as her legs gave out beneath her and she fell to her knees.

Hesitantly, Ruby inched forward, uncertain if she should go for the knife or restrain the maid.

"Please help me."

Ruby froze at the sound of Penny's hushed voice, unsure if she had just imagined it. Penny lifted her head, lines after line of text racing across her eyes. Her fingers brushed against one of the blades beside her and they curled around it, causing Ruby to step back.

"Please help me."

Before Ruby could do anything Penny took up the blade and drove it through her own neck. Her head lolled as her eyes faded and she fell backwards, hitting the floor with a hard impact.


	7. Chapter 7

Blake was the first to turn her attention to the doorway as Ruby's footsteps reached her ears. She set her mug aside and rose, she could tell her friend was running and by the sound of her footfalls the woman knew something wasn't right. Weiss and Ren watched her curiously as she left her chair and went to the door only to have Ruby appear around the corner a few seconds later. At first Weiss wanted to scold the younger woman for not getting dressed before leaving her room but she stopped herself as she noticed the look on her face and the cut on her cheek.

"What's going on?" Blake asked her as Ruby's breathing came out in quick huffs. "Where did you get that injury."

Ruby's eye met hers, concern and no small amount of panic apparent in the lone silver orb. "I was attacked." She said, her attention going to Weiss next. "By Penny."

Ren stood as Blake's mouth opened as if she was about to say something but only silence followed. Weiss retrieved her cane and pushed herself out of her chair, waving Ren away as he offered her a supporting hand.

"You were attacked?" She asked.

"Just now." Ruby replied, watching her friend walk around the couch to stand before her. "In my room. She attacked me with a knife and then swords came out of her arms."

"What?" Ren asked. "That's impossible. The Pennys aren't weaponized and they can't attack someone like that."

"I'm telling the truth." Ruby retorted, more defensively than she really intended.

"No one's saying you're not." Blake said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "What happened to Penny?"

"Hey guys!" Yang appeared down the hallway, a towel draped over her shoulders and still dressed in her exercise clothes. "What's everyone doing out here?" She noticed the cut on Ruby's face and the air that surrounded them all. She stopped in her tracks. "What's going on?"

* * *

Ruby lead the group back to her room, Weiss and her assistant taking up the rear. She explained what had happened and the end of the confrontation, knowing undeniable truth lay just inside her bedroom. At the end of the hall they saw her door wide open, just as she left it, and as she stepped inside she came to a halt.

Blake almost ran into her, she looked over the woman's shoulder into the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. There was no Penny lying on the floor, no weapons and no knife. It was like nothing had happened.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, surprise in her voice as she walked in, stepping around the area Penny had been laying. "She was right here." She said, motioning to the patch of carpet. "Right here and-"

She put a hand to her head as if to stabilize herself. The others entered her room, fanning out and looking everything over. Yang went to her sister's side, doing nothing but standing by her as her eyes scanned the room. Blake knelt down where Ruby had pointed, running a hand over the floor.

"Ruby," Weiss began, grabbing the woman's attention. "There's nothing here."

"No." Ruby said quickly. "She was here." She stepped around her sister. "She was right here. She had this fluid running from her and she stabbed herself and-" Her words trailed off.

Weiss turned to her assistant, eager to believe her friend. "Penny," she began, "Is anyone missing from the Starbright grid?"

"I'l check now, chancellor." Came Penny's response. Her eyes lit up as strands of text flowed over them, making her pause for several long seconds before speaking again. "All one hundred and thirteen Pennys are accounted for, ma'am." She said. "No one other than the house's staff, myself included, is anywhere near here."

"That's can't be right." Ruby said. "I know what I saw."

"I'm sorry, general." Penny began. "We are all linked by the Starbright System, if there were any deviations or anomalies we would all know it."

Ruby pointed to the cut on her cheek. "Then how did I get this?" She asked, steadily losing her patience. "I didn't do this to myself."

Yang placed a hand on Ruby's. "Easy, lil sis." She said. "Calm down."

The younger woman lowered her hand, heeding her sister's words. "I'm sorry." She said.

"You're just shaken, is all." Yang comforted.

Weiss tapped her chin with her knuckles. "Could it have been a case of mistaken identity?" She wondered aloud. "Someone disguised as Penny?"

"I don't think so."

She looked to Blake as the woman stood and held up her hand, passing her middle and index fingers under Weiss' nose. There was the faint yet distinct smell of lithium on her fingertips.

"If I remember correctly," Blake began, "The fluid that courses through Penny's body has lithium in it."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Yes." She said. "Yes, you're right."

"The Pennys have a chemical compound that acts as blood for them." Ren explained. "And it's rich in lithium."

"Even if you clean up the scene the smell will linger." Blake added. She turned back to Ruby. "This is proof that you were attacked by a Penny."

"I'm sorry but that can't be possible." Penny said, stepping into the conversation. "None of us are combat ready and we certainly aren't armed with any form of weapons as the general described."

"If that's the case then this just turned into something far more disturbing." Weiss said.

Blake turned back to her. "What do you mean?"

Weiss looked to Penny for a moment. "All Pennys are accounted for and there are no changes to the Starbright System. This can only mean that there's another Penny or a number of Penny's operating outside the one hundred and thirteen."

"Wait," Yang began, stepping forward, "Is that possible?"

"You yourself shut down their production the middle of last year." Ren said to Weiss. "The schematics and codes are all confidential government property, the only ones who know anything about them are currently employed as engineers looking after the system or bound by gag orders."

"But it's not impossible." Weiss replied. "Someone could have leaked the information all too easily, it's just a matter of finding out who."

"I can pull a list of the individuals affiliated with the System." Ren suggested.

"Please do." Weiss said. "That'll be a start. I no longer have the authority to enter the labs and even I don't know everyone who worked on the project."

"It'll take some work to get the council to let us talk to them. They're protected by a wall of red tape and with no solid evidence on our side, well let's just say it'll be an uphill battle."

"I'll leave you to it then." Ren nodded and left the room. Weiss turned her attention to Ruby. "Let's get a bandage on that," she said, looking to the cut on her cheek. "Get dressed first." She turned to Penny, "Can you get the first aid kit for me?"

"Right away, ma'am."

Weiss watched her leave and she began to think to herself. Was there a connection between today and yesterday? She believed that this was in no way a coincidence, it was all too well timed. She looked to Ruby who now stood before her closet, retrieving her clothes. There weren't very many options open to them but in light of what happened she hated this waiting game they were being forced to play. With today's incident she was no longer the only one in danger.

* * *

A man sat at a desk in a dark room, the only light coming from the two holographic screens before him. One displayed several blank cells that read "voice only" and the other showed footage of Ruby in her room from Penny's point of view. He had watched this replay several times, each time ending with a sudden cut to static.

"Yesterday was a travesty." A voice said from the screen. "We should have known better than hire a bunch of fools and animals like them."

"I'm afraid I must agree." Another voice began. "While it was ingenious twisting their hate and bitterness to our favor we should've expected this kind of outcome."

"Be that as it may I wouldn't call it a total disaster."

"Wouldn't you? Once yesterday and again today we have had nothing but failure with nothing to show for it."

"Which brings us to this other matter; why did you send that Penny after Rose instead of Schnee?"

The man at the desk straightened. "As you saw there are a number of bugs to work out in order to perfect the program." He explained. "The Penny's malfunction is doubt a result of our tampering, pulling her from the Strabright System without raising any alarms with the other Pennys, today was little more than a test. As for why I chose Ruby it's because out of the four of them in that household she has the biggest heart, she will not fight with full force if her attacker looks like an old friend."

"When you explain it that way it makes sense."

"You're quite the cruel one, aren't you?"

"But what about the Penny? Was it recovered?"

"Of course." The man said. "I had a team nearby in case this happened. It was recovered and is now back at the lab. We will repair it and have it back to it's post before anyone knows its missing."

"Good. We can not get sloppy at this point, we'll have to be cautious from here on."

"On a different note, how's you-know-who doing?"

"He's behaving himself. He knows he needs us just as much as we need him but he will take responsibility for yesterday's failure. It was he who brought those misfits together, after all."

"And as for those 'misfits', I'll take care of them."

"See to it. We still have plenty of opportunities to carry out our plan, having loose ends will only complicate things."

"If that is all then I believe we are done here."

A collective "Agreed" arose from the other voices including the man himself.

"Then we are adjourned."

The screens went dark, plunging the man into blackness before the lights came on at the press of a button. He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling when a knock came from the door behind him. He quickly opened a new window displaying a series of charts and numbers before the door slid open on hydraulic hinges.

A woman in a lab coat walked in with a clipboard held to her chest. "We're almost done with the repairs, Mister Lark."

Sky turned his chair around to face the woman. "Thank you." He said, rising from his seat. "Was the damage extensive?"

The woman shook her head. "No, sir. Just minor structural damage and her core programming suffered no damage either."

"That's a relief to hear. With so few Pennys in operation we need to make sure each of them are in top form."

"It's still shocking that a malfunction would cause her to try to terminate herself like that." The woman said, a genuine sadness in her eyes. "Is it really that traumatic for the Pennys to deviate from the Starbright System?"

"That's unclear." Sky answered.

The woman stepped aside as he walked out the door and into a wide open lab just beyond. Only a hand full of scientists and engineers occupied the numerous panels and desks that dotted the room. Off to the far end of the room was a table where the Penny that attacked Ruby lay, her neck repaired and her clothes changed from that of a maid to a construction uniform.

Sky made his way over to the table with the scientist behind him and stood over it. "On the bright side, according to the data we received her combat efficiency has not fallen. Today's exercise would be called a success if not for that malfunction."

Sky looked down upon the mechanical girl who lay before him and then his eyes went to the large cylindrical machine that sat at the center of the room. Countless wires and cords ran from it to the desks and machines throughout the lab.

He looked back to the woman behind him. "Keep up the good work." He said. "It was the Chancellor's hope that we would never need to use the Pennys as weapons but in this turbulent time we need their protection more than ever."

"After what's happened do you think Miss Schnee will use them?" She asked.

"If worse comes to worst." Sky replied. "They will be our last resort and even then the Chancellor may still hesitate on using them."

The scientist looked to the Penny on the table. "She's a very kind woman." She said. "I can't do much but I, as well as everyone else here, will protect this secret for as long as we're able. For Miss Schnee's sake."

Sky turned away from her, hiding his smile. "You are a very loyal person. The Chancellor is a very lucky woman to have supporters such as you."

* * * *

Jaune awoke in a daze, leaving the comfort of sleep despite his drowsiness. He rubbed at his eyes with one hand as the other hung over his bed, his fingers brushing the cool floor. The sheets pulled back as he sat up revealing a young boy with orange hair lying between him and the empty sheets opposite him. With a smile Jaune left the bed quietly and pulled the sheets up to his son's chin, careful not to disturb him.

Dressed in pale blue pajamas he raised a hand to his mouth as he yawned deeply and left the room, following the sweet smell of pancakes to the kitchen. His home was a humble place, an apartment in the heart of downtown Vale. The walls were decorated with photos of friends and family and accolades alike. There wasn't much room here but it was a warm place.

He entered the kitchen, listening to the sounds of the morning play our around him; the crackle from a frying pan, the ticking of a timer and the bubbling of the coffee maker. Pyrrha stood before the stove, dressed in a red and white dress, her bright hair tied up and held in place with a ribbon.

She looked over her shoulder at the sound his footsteps, a smile appearing on her face. "Morning, sleepy head."

Jaune walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. "Morning." He said as he made his way to the coffee pot, retrieving his mug from the brass hook on the wall beside it.

"Is Leo still asleep?" His wife asked.

"Like a log." Jaune chuckled. "You guys didn't need to wait up for me."

"He wasn't going to go to bed until he showed you what he drew at school." She laughed. "Besides, if we went to bed you would've been left to sleep on the couch. Again."

Jaune walked over to her, placing his mug on the counter beside her he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Then I should probably thank you."

Pyrrha's smile broadened as she turned her head towards his. "Perhaps." She said. "But if I burn this you're eating it."

Her husband pulled her closer to him as he leaned his head in. "I can live with that."

Just as their lips brushed one another's, Jaune's scroll, seated on the table, began to chime, signaling a cal. Pyrrha laughed at the timing as Jaune dropped his head onto her shoulder.

She reached up and patted his hair. "I think it's for you." She said as the device continued to chirp at them.

"Right." Jaune groaned.

He released the woman and walked over to the table, scooping up his scroll and opened it. A new window appeared displaying a sound bar and the word "Headquarters" above it.

"This is Jaune."

"Chief," came a man's voice, "Sorry but we need you at HQ right away, sir."

The urgency in the man's voice spoke volumes to Jaune and it grabbed Pyrrha's attention as well. Her husband looked to her and she gave him a nod. In past experiences Jaune was taught that in times like these he needed to act first and ask later.

"On my way."

* * *

A pair of buses sat in front of the Vale Police Department as Jaune pulled up. Armed soldiers stood outside, flanking the large vehicles as men and women in bonds were marched onto them.

Jaune left his squad car, the tail of his tan trench coat fluttering behind him as a soldier approached him. The man was in body armor and carried a rifle, the patch on his shoulder showed he was a ranking officer.

"What's going on?" Jaune asked, skipping and and all formality. "Where are you taking these people?"

"We're moving them to the prison." The soldier replied, equally forgoing formality.

"Take it up the chain, chief, we're under orders here. They're coming with us."

Jaune didn't let up. "Orders?" He asked. "Who's?"

The soldier reached into the vest of his armor and pulled out a piece of paper. He held it out for the officer who quickly tore it from the man's grasp. A list of orders sat in a block of glamorized text all tied together with Weiss' signature at the bottom and her seal at the top.

"Relax, Arc," the solider began, "These terrorists will get what's coming to them." The soldier said.

Even though the words were right in front of him Jaune didn't believe Weiss would order this so soon after all that happened. These people wouldn't be interrogated, they would be imprisoned and that would be the end of it. Nowhere did it state that they would be questioned any further and there was no way Weiss would just let them off the hook like that. He knew what kind of woman she was all too well.

"I'll be taking this." He said, waving the paper as he turned back to his car.

"Knock yourself out." The other man replied under his breath.

Jaune wanted answers and luckily he knew just where to find them.

* * *

Jaune walked up the stairs to Weiss' front door, taking the door knocker in one hand and tapped it against the brass plate beneath it. He stepped back to only have the door open a moment later and Penny step out onto the front step.

"Good morning, Chief Arc." She greeted. "How may I help you?"

"I need to speak to Weiss." Jaune replied. "She's in, isn't she?"

"Yes she is, sir." She stepped aside, motioning him to enter. "She's in the living room. Shall I show you in?"

"That's alright, I know the way." He answered, stepping past her and into the house.

He walked through the foyer and down the hall, making his way to the arched doorway. Weiss sat in her armchair with Blake in the other and Ruby and Yang on the couch. Ruby, with a white bandage on her cheek, turned in her seat as he entered. Looking at him now made her remember their days at Beacon and how he used to be, she couldn't help feeling a little proud of him.

"What's the meaning of this, Weiss?" He asked, marching into the room.

"Wow, nice to see you too, Jaune." Ruby said.

"What're you talking about?" Weiss asked, ignoring the other woman.

Jaune walked up to her, pulling out the paper he took from his pocket and offering it to the chancellor. She accepted it and began looking it over. "I've a small platoon of soldiers outside my building rounding up the suspects from yesterday." He explained.

"Wait. What?" Ruby asked, leaving her seat to stand over Weiss' shoulder as she read.

Blake stood. "Where are they taking them?"

"To the Vale Prison." Jaune replied. "Apparently all on Weiss' orders."

"This is bad." The group looked to Weiss as she raised a hand to her chin, the paper still in her hand. "This is real bad." She looked up to Jaune. "Suffice to say I didn't order this." She tapped the paper with her other hand. "I've never seen this before."

Blake's eyes widened. "This is bad."

Weiss rose from her seat. "Very."

"Even if you didn't authorize this the political weight of that little paper has my hands tied." Jaune explained. "I can't get officers out on there to stop the convoy."

"So then," Yang began, "What do we do?"

"Without the help of the police that just leaves us." Blake added.

"Not like that's stopped us before." Ruby quipped.

Weiss tapped her finger on her cane, crumpling the paper in her free hand. "We do this our way." She said. She looked to Yang, "Get to the convoy as fast as you can, do whatever you can to stop them. Within reason, of course."

Yang nodded. "Easily done."

"We'll be right behind you." Weiss added. "Just stall them. I'll take full responsibility."

Yang took off running, winding her way through the house and into Weiss' garage where her bike was stored. She slammed her fist against the button to raise the door as she grabbed her helmet from a nearby shelf. She straddled her bike as she slipped the headwear on, pausing as she noticed Blake enter the garage. The other woman fastened the last button on her jacket as she retrieved a second helmet, slipping it over her head.

"I'm coming with you." She said to Yang, jumping onto the back.

A mischievous smile spread across Yang's face. "Then hold on tight."

She kicked the motorcycle to life, revving the engine a couple times before speeding out of the building and down the road outside. Weiss and the others exited the house, watching the pair take off in a blur as they descended the stairs towards Jaune's car.

Weiss lowered herself into the back seat as Ruby and Jaune jumped in. "If they're going to the prison then they'll take the highway headed for uptown." Jaune said. "It's going to be a rough ride."

"No other choice at this point." Weiss replied. "Floor it."

Jaune started the vehicle and threw the car into gear. "Buckle up."

With that the vehicle's rear wheels spun as the front pair stayed in place, turning the car towards the exit of the grounds and tearing down the street. Ruby held onto the door in the backseat with Weiss, quickly throwing on her seatbelt as the car stabilized and the sirens on the roof began to wail.

"First yesterday's attack, then this morning's and now this." Ruby began. "Something tells me we're not going to catch a break anytime soon."

"This morning?" Jaune asked, glancing at the woman in the rearview mirror. "Does it have anything to do with your injury there?"

"Long story," Ruby replied, "We'll fill you in on everything later. Promise."

"Damn right you will." He threw the wheel to one side as his free hand pulled the emergency brake, causing the vehicle to fishtail around a turn.

Weiss' grip on her cane tightened as the car sped down the streets and she stared out the window to her side. She had worked too hard to be undone like this, she was going to find the ones responsible for this and she was going to make them regret everything they had done. The woman's rising temperament didn't go unnoticed by her friend, the other woman knew and shared her frustration. But somewhere in the back of her mind she knew something else was coming.

Something far bigger.

* * *

The convoy sped down the highway, one bus in front of the other as a pair of military vehicles escorted them through traffic. The soldier that had dealt with Jaune sat in the passenger seat of one of the escorts, quite obviously in a foul mood.

"Just who does that Arc think he is anyway?" He growled.

"You mean the police chief?" The driver asked. "Wouldn't you be pissed off if someone came in and took you suspects away? Ultimately closing the case before you got anywhere?"

"Hey," the other man said, "Just who's side are you on?"

"I'm on Vale's side, sir." The driver replied. "We're all serving the same country here. Arc must have been up all night questioning these terrorists, I can understand how he'd be mad."

The other soldier tapped the window with his fist. "Right, I hear you. But it still ticks me off."

"Arc was once a soldier like us, I'm sure he knows what it's like to get snapped at and I'm sure he wasn't trying to take it out on you."

The first man laughed. "You sure you're a solider?" He asked. "You would make a pretty good psychiatrist."

The driver laughed as well. "Yeah, maybe it's time for a career change."

The two men laughed together only to be cut short as a thundering explosion ripped through the air and rocked their car. The first bus was now a burning shell, sliding across the cement as the second bus was torn in half by a second explosion. A pillar of black smoke barreled up into the sky as the escort vehicles swerved out of the way of the still moving wreckage. The first bus collided with the highway's wall, grinding into the metal and concrete for several feet before stopping.

The escorts were stopped and soldiers piled out into the street, jaws slacked in disbelief as the heat of the flames burned their faces and the echoes of the explosions still ringing in their ears.


	8. Chapter 8

Yang stopped a good distance from the inferno yet even from that far away the heat was nearly unbearable. Blake dismounted before the bike was fully halted, already at a brisk walk towards the soldiers, removing her helmet as she went. The blaze was out of control, any evidence that may have been aboard the vehicles were completely destroyed by now.

She approached one of the soldiers. "Who's in charge here?"

The man turned to her, trying to hide the shock on his face. "That would be me." He answered. "Who are you?"

"Admiral Blake Belladonna." She replied.

The soldier quickly stood at attention, offering a salute. "Sorry, ma'am, didn't recognize you."

"At ease." She ordered. "What are your losses?"

"Nine men." He replied, lowering his arm. "Guards on the buses with the prisoners." He ground his teeth as he looked back toward the destruction. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Did you notice anything before the explosion?" Yang asked, joining them. "Any cars getting too close or gunfire?"

The soldier shook his head. "No, ma'am. Judging by the wreckage the explosions came from inside the vehicles though we don't know how. These buses came from base and each of the prisoners were searched prior to boarding."

The sound of sirens drew the trio's attention as a squad car pulled up by Yang's bike, falling silent as the doors opened. Weiss exited the car, drawing a salute from the soldier as she approached. Unperturbed by the heat she face the flames as if she were starting down an enemy.

"You." She addressed the solider without looking at him. "Where did your orders come from?"

"Ma'am, I received the letter this morning demanding immediate action." He replied.

"No one handed you this paper?" She asked, holding up the wrinkled orders in her free hand.

"No, ma'am. The guard at the gate passed them onto me. Didn't say who had delivered them since your seal was on it."

Weiss let out a low growl, pocketing the paper as she turned away from the blaze. "Question that guard." She ordered. "Find out who's behind this or at least give me a face." She walked up to the soldier, stopping mere inches from him. "I did not order this and thanks to the lack of protocol in which this was handled we have lost valuable suspects in this case. Now, if you don't want to be cleaning out your office within the next twenty-four hours I suggest you get me a detailed description of who the hell I need to be looking for." She looked around to the other soliders who were watching by now. "Well?" She asked. "Get to it!"

With a collective "Ma'am!" the soldiers dispersed , returning to their vehicles as more squad cars arrived on the scene closely followed by fire teams. Ruby, Jaune, Blake and Yang joined Weiss where she stood, watching everything before them as fonts of water doused the flames.

"We were played." Yang said.

"Whoever we're up against knows what they're doing." Jaune added. "We were completely unprepared."

Ruby put a hand to her missing eye. "The more I look at this the more it feels like we're facing Roman all over again."

"It certainly matches his tactics." Blake said.

"But Torchwick's been dead for the last decade." Yang pointed out. "Ruby took him down herself."

"I wasn't suggesting that he was alive." Blake replied.

Weiss put a hand to her chin. "We're dealing with a copycat." She said, grabbing the others' attention. "No doubt about it." She lowered her hand. "The MO is similar but Torchwick wasn't this chaotic. Besides," her hand went to her pocket unconsciously, "He never could have pulled off something like this, manipulating us is one thing but the military? Not a chance."

"I know what you're thinking," Blake began, "And I hate to hear it but it sounds like our copycat is one of our own."

"But what about that document?" Jaune asked. "There are never any shortage of counterfeiters, they could have gotten it anywhere."

"And my signature isn't exactly a close guarded secret either." Weiss quipped. She looked at the carnage as it the fire teams quenched the flames and the police were taping off the area. She clicked her tongue, "We're grasping at straws here." She snarled. "We've nothing solid to go on."

She quickly turned and headed back for Jaune's car. "Where now?" Ruby asked as she and the others followed.

"My office." She replied. "We're going to have to pull it together if we want to end this."

* * *

Sky watched from his office window as a column of black smoke climbed above the surrounding cityscape. When he was told they would take care of it he wasn't expecting this although it certainly was effective. This would keep Weiss and her hounds at bay, for a time at least.

He moved away form the window as his scroll chimed at him. Returning to his desk he opened the device, setting it before him on a small stand. "Yes?"

"Be careful," Came a man's voice, "One of the witch's hounds is sniffing around in places he shouldn't be and thanks to that fool we've really gone and stirred a hornet's nest."

"You should have been ready for this from the beginning." Sky replied. "There are risks when you try to move up in the world through force."

"This was supposed to be easy. Whack some uppity woman and get promoted. We should have done this ourselves. We should have never brought him into this."

Sky was losing his patience. "Don't play if you aren't prepared to pay." He said. "We all decided that Weiss needed to go, for the good of Vale, we also knew that now of all times was the worst time. I wanted to do this a month ago when she didn't have a three woman army on her side." He took a breath. "We've come this far and everything else is moving as scheduled. Try and not choke just yet."

Without waiting to hear any manner of reply Sky closed his scroll and lightly tossed it back on his desk. Leaning back in his chair he let a cruel smile spread across his face, the very thought of how lost Weiss must be at this very moment excited him. The old men who conspired with him could rot for all he cared, there was only one thing he was after and once he had it then he could dispose of them.

Years of planning and preparation would all pay off in just a few days and he was far beyond ready.

* * *

"A copy cat?" Velvet asked, seated in one of the chairs before Weiss' desk.

"It certainly makes sense." Sun added, standing behind her. "That man didn't have any shortage of followers."

"Yeah but most of them scattered after he died." Yang said, leaning against the wall by the door. "Though it has been ten years."

Weiss nodded. "Yesterday's attack and the incidents today only seem to strengthen that theory."

"Roman was patient but I doubt even he would wait a decade for a counter attack." Blake explained.

"Let's not forget this morning's incident with Penny." Jaune brought up. "From what you've told us we need to worry about a Penny that's not on the grid and if there's one who can't say there aren't more?"

"I have Ren looking into that." Weiss said. "The timing was far too perfect to be a coincidence."

"So you think it's related?" Sun asked.

"I'm not sure, I don't have any proof." She answered. The chime of her scroll grabbed her attention, retrieving the device she opened it and her eyes scanned over the message displayed. "Well," she began, "We may have some at last."

"Was that Ren?" Ruby asked.

Weiss closed the scroll. "He certainly works fast." She said. "He sent me a list of the scientists working on the Starbright System." She retrieved her cane and stood.

"Wait," Ruby began, "Where are you going?"

"'We'," Weiss corrected, "Are going to go talk to one of these said white coats."

"But I thought you said we couldn't." Yang straightened as Weiss approached.

"Ren is also working on that." She replied. "But we're going to be ahead of the game."

"I'll come with you." Ruby said, leaving her seat before the desk.

"Same here." Jaune added. "You'll need a ride since you left your driver back at your place."

"Very well then." Weiss acknowledged. "Let's get a move on then." She looked to the others. "For now please just stand by. We can't make any aggressive moves right now but once we get the green light be ready."

"We'll head back to the house then." Blake said.

"If we must." Yang sighed.

Weiss opened the door, tossing a glance at the blond woman. "Try and behave yourself for once."

Ruby gave her sister a smile as she and Jaune followed their friend out the door and into the hall. Weiss walked at a brisk pace, it was easy to tell that she was excited by this new information. With scroll in one hand she easily navigated the halls tot he parking garage beneath the building, scrolling through the list of names.

"Where to first?" Jaune asked as he lowered himself into the driver's seat.

Ruby looked at the scroll from beside Weiss in the back seat. "This woman lives in uptown." She pointed out.

"You're right." Weiss replied. "She's the closest."

After giving Jaune the directions the man quickly threw the vehicle into gear and left the garage, merging onto the busy street outside. "What if Ren doesn't get clearance?" He asked. "We'll be walking straight into a mountain of paperwork and no small amount of headaches if these people are as politically guarded as you say."

"Don't worry about that." Weiss answered. "Ren will get his end done. He's never let me down once."

"Yeah he's dependable, alright." Jaune grinned. "Especially when it comes to you."

Weiss jerked in her seat. "What was that about?" She looked to Ruby and found the woman smiling at her with a sly expression. "What are you grinning about?" She asked, her face flushing bright red.

Ruby just hummed to herself happily. "Nothing."

Jane laughed from the front seat, bringing the car around a turn and down a less populated street. Following the back roads would be much faster than taking the high way and he was far more familiar with these routes from his days as a beat cop. Weiss leaned forward, offering him her scroll and directing him towards the oncoming turn. He took his eyes off the road, looking at the women behind him through the rear view.

Then the car lurched to the side, jostling them in their seats as the metal bent inward towards them and the windows shattered in a shower of glass.


	9. Chapter 9

Walking at a brisk pace Pyrrha traversed the halls of the hospital, leading her son by the hand. After rounding a corner she found Blake and Yang standing before the emergency room doors while Weiss sat on a bench beside them. The trio noticed the red haired woman right away, hiding their worry as much as she herself did.

Leo looked down from his mother and his expression brightened at the sight of his three 'aunts' gathered before him. "Auntie Yang!" He shouted.

Pyrrha released his hand as he ran up to Yang who crouched, hooking her hands under his arms and lifting him into her own. "Hey there, big guy." She said with a beaming smile. "You've grown since the last time I saw you."

"He's been measuring his height every day." Pyrrha said, walking up to join them.

"One day I'm going to be as tall as you." Leo said, putting a hand to his head and then to Yang's.

Yang laughed. "Only if you eat your veggies, kid."

Leo looked around at everyone gathered. "Where's dad and auntie Ruby?"

Silence was all that answered the boy's question as Weiss returned her gaze to the floor. Pyrrha already feared the worst but this reaction only added to her worry.

"Hey," Yang grabbed the boy's attention as she put him down, "Auntie Weiss has some boring grown-up stuff to talk about with your mom, so how about you and me go play outside?

Leo's vigorous nodding and quick agreement made Yang smile. She stood, talking the child's hand in her's, and lead him passed his mother. Pyrrha offered a grateful nod to her as she passed and waited until the pair were out of sight completely before turning back to the others. She then noticed the dirt on Weiss' clothes and the bandages around her head. She looked to the glowing red sign above the doors they stood before, wondering how long until they opened and what kind of news would emerge.

She lowered her gaze and took a breath. "Tell me what happened."

* * *

By the time Jaune noticed the truck barreling down the side street it was too late. Hidden by cramped buildings it was an act of perfect timing and the larger vehicle struck the squad car square in the center. The car was pushed clear off the road and into the open lot on the opposite side, continuing to move even after the truck had stopped. Ruby and Weiss were jostled in the back seat as the vehicle rolled once, twice and a third time before coming to a stop on it's roof.

Weiss' vision swam as she lay on the back of her shoulders, fresh cuts and abrasions stinging her body. Through the bent metal and broken glass she saw the truck approach and a number of boots touch down in the dirt. She watched Ruby crawl out through the window, powerless to help her as a foot came up and caught the woman in the chin. Weiss managed to squirm around upright and crawled out of the car on the opposite side only to find a pair of hands waiting for her.

She was dragged to her feet and thrown to the ground, rolling away from the vehicle. Weiss managed to push herself onto her hands and knees before a blow to the back of her head put her back down. With blurred vision she watched from the dirt as the man above her raised a foot, intending to either throw her into unconsciousness or into the next life.

Before the man could follow through he was taken from his feet, revealing Jaune behind him. With a long metal baton in hand he struck Weiss' attacker in the neck and quickly lashed out with another blow to his jaw. Jaune turned on the next man as he swung out at the police chief who batted the blow away all too easily and landing a couple of his own on the attacker's torso.

Beating the second man away Jaune readied himself for whomever was next only to be stopped in his tracks as gunfire ripped through the air and a hole appeared in his stomach. He stumbled back a step and another gunshot rang out, tearing a hole in his chest. Jaune fell, his legs giving out from under him and he crashed to the ground as the first man appeared in Weiss' view with gun in hand and the other to his mouth.

The man stepped over Jaune, weapon trained on his head but a third man stopped him. "What're you doing, you idiot?" He asked. "Why not just broadcast this to the whole city?"

"He was in the way." The fist man said. "What do you care? He's a pig."

"Boss wanted the red one, he didn't tell us to grease anyone."

The other man spat, lowering his firearm. "Fine."

The third man looked back over his shoulder, turning to walk back to the truck. "Let's get out of here."

While her vision lasted, Weiss watched as the other two men ran back to their vehicle and then the world went black.

* * *

Pyrrha sat beside Weiss, her back against the wall and her hands on her knees, balled into fists. She listened to Weiss as she recounted the incident, suppressing her rising anger and constantly glancing at the emergency room doors. Doors that remained unopened and a sign that remained alight.

"They took Ruby." Weiss said. "By the time I came to I was already here and Jaune was in surgery." She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her legs and interlocking her fingers.

"We played right into their hands." Blake said. She looked at Weiss, "But why take Ruby? Weren't you their target?"

"You're right," Weiss replied, "I should be dead by all accounts yet here I am."

"So what does this all mean?" Pyrrha asked.

Weiss shook her head. "I have no idea. Nothing seems to line up."

"It means this was a separate group." Blake explained. "Someone knew where you were going and they just had to lay and wait."

"Yet the only people who knew were all of us." Weiss said. "Besides, nobody else had the list."

"One other person did." Blake added and Weiss knew who she was talking about. "Ren."

Pyrrha looked from one woman to the other. "No." She said lightly. "Ren wouldn't do this."

"He was the only other one who knew the names and addresses on that list." Blake explained. "You yourself said that his word has just as much pull as yours. It would explain what happened earlier as well as-"

"We are not discussing this." Weiss interrupted. "Ren wouldn't do that."

"Even if you're right," Pyrrha said, "Why wouldn't he finish this when Weiss was right there? Why leave her and kidnap Ruby?"

The argument seemed to diffuse Blake's suspicions and ease Weiss' in the process, but only a little. But the possibility still remained and that weighed heavily on her mind. There wasn't enough information to help them and everything had gotten so chaotic so suddenly. Who was this 'boss' those men were talking about and how was this attack executed so perfectly unlike the others?

The light above the doors went out and they slid open as a doctor in scrubs came walking out. Pyrrha quickly stood and walked up to him as Weiss pushed herself up with the aid of cane provided to her by the hospital.

"How is he?" Pyrrha asked, nervous for the answer.

"He'll be fine." The doctor said, bringing a look of relief to everyone's faces. "His aura protected him, weather consciously or unconsciously he saved his own life today." He smiled. "I always heard the Chief Arc had a remarkable aura but this only proves it."

Pyrrha let out a deep sigh as Blake rested a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you." She said to him.

"We'll move him to urgent care for the night." The doctor explained. "If nothing happens then he'll be in his own room by tomorrow." He gave a nod to Weiss as she joined the other two then returned his attention to Pyrrha. "Rest easy, Mrs. Arc," he said, "He'll be fine."

* * *

Weiss, Pyrrha and Blake walked into the hospital lobby where Yang sat with Leo in her lap and a book in her hands and Ren standing nearby with a trio of uniformed officers locked in discussion. One of the officers noticed the women and Ren turned around quickly to face them, a worried look changing to relief as he saw Weiss. She smiled at him as he and the officers approached them, seeing him made her feel a little better yet Blake's words still clawed at the back of her mind.

"Are you alright?" Ren asked, stopping before her, his eyes looking her over.

"I'm fine." Weiss reassured. "This is nothing compared to what we've all suffered in the past."

"What about the chief?" One of the officers asked her, looking from her to Pyrrha with concern and some anger. "Is he alright?"

Weiss raised a hand, stopping him and the others from speaking further. "Calm down." She said. "Jaune will be fine."

"The doctor said he'll be in his own room by tomorrow." Pyrrha proceeded to explain. She donned a mask of confidence. "Have you so little faith in your chief?"

"Not a chance." Another officer replied.

"Yeah, it would take an army to put him down."

"You're right, ma'am," the first officer began, "We got a little carried away."

"Keep a level head and follow your training." Weiss urged them. "Jaune wouldn't want you boys going out on some kind of crusade for vengeance at a time like this." Her words seemed to calm the men. "Keep it by the numbers and do what you can to put his mind at ease while he's laid up."

The three men nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Pyrrha looked passed the men as Yang and Leo came to join them, her change in attitude caught on quickly with the other officers and they stepped away. The red haired woman crouched as her son ran up to her, picking him up while offering Yang a grateful smile.

"Did you have fun?" Pyrrha asked the boy.

He nodded. "We played tag and auntie Yang jumped out of a tree."

"There was a cat." Yang explained and she looked to Blake. "Reminded me of a certain someone." Blake didn't bother responding, she merely shot a glare at her friend which only made her grin even wider. "That aside," she began again, "The media is gathered outside. Word of this whole incident has whipped them into a frenzy."

"No doubt it has." Blake replied.

"The police are keeping them in line." Ren explained. Then to Pyrrha he said, "There's a car in the garage below waiting to take you and Leo home. I think it would be best to steer clear of cameras for right now."

Pyrrha nodded. "I agree." She lowed Leo back to the ground, taking his hand in her's. "Shall we go home, then?"

"Already?" The boy moaned. "What about dad?"

"Your dad has some work he needs to do right now." Yang said, crouching down beside him. "So that means you're the man of the house while he's gone, alright? Think you can handle it?" The boy said nothing but nodded all the same. "Good!"

"I guess we'll see you guys later then?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yes." Weiss replied. "We'll stay in touch."

With that Pyrrha nodded to her friends while he son waved 'goodbye' and left for the elevator. Leo appeared to be very much aware of what was going on, Weiss noticed it and the others most likely did as well. He was a perceptive boy, definitely Pyrrha's son and Weiss looked forward to watching him grow up. She just hoped, at the back of her mind, that she would live long enough to do so.

"I've got a car waiting for you, as well." Ren said to her. "It's mine, I figured your car would grab too much attention."

"You want me to hide from them as well?" Weiss asked.

"I think it's a good idea." Blake said. "If we make this a big deal then the media will have a hay day with it and there's no telling what our enemies will do either."

"But doesn't that feel a little wrong?" Yang asked. "I mean, is this something we should be hiding from everyone? Jaune is in the hospital, Ruby is missing and there's a group of terrorists out for your head." She looked to Blake and Ren. "The public isn't stupid, they know what's going on and having their chancellor dodge them won't help the situation."

Yang's words rang true in all of them, giving them pause and making them think about the situation. Weiss' grip on her cane tightened until her gloves whined under the strain. She was doing exactly as Ozpin had done all those years ago and that thought made her grind her teeth.

"Ren," She said, grabbing the man's attention, "Call Penny and have her pick me up out front." She stepped passed them, headed for the entrance. "Yang, Blake, you're joining me." Yang smiled at the tone in her voice, quickly jumping into stride behind her as Blake followed right after. "I swore an oath to this city," she said, "And I'll be damned if a let these criminals scare me away from my duties."

"You go, Ice Queen." Yang cheered.

Ren quickly fell into stride behind the three women. "If you're doing this then I'm right there with you."

Weiss stopped at the doors, looking over her shoulder at her friends, their eyes locked onto hers. She remembered a similar situation a long time ago, when Ruby lead them into what was obviously a trap just so they could give their allies some time to regroup. The courage she showed that day was contagious and they easily emerged victorious.

"Here we go then." She said, facing the doors. "Once more into the breach."

The doors slid open and a barrage of camera flashes and a frenzy of voices bombarded the group as they strode forward. This may not be like the war they fought back then but it was a battlefield all the same.


	10. Chapter 10

Weiss leaned back into her chair, exhausted and changed into clean clothing. After answering an untold amount of questions she returned to her office with Ren, escorted by both Blake and Yang along with two squad cars. She stared at the ceiling thinking about what Blake had said and Ren's theorized involvement with it all. She pushed the thought out of her head as she straightened, she couldn't bring herself to believe he would want her dead.

A knock at her door tore her away from her thoughts. "Come in."

The wooden portal opened and Ren entered, a pair of glasses on his nose and a tray in his hands occupied by a plate of sandwiches and a glass of water. He shut the door behind him and walked over to Weiss' desk, setting the tray on the edge.

"Penny told me you hadn't eaten since yesterday." He said.

Despite being late afternoon Weiss found her appetite non existent. "Thanks," She said, "But I'm not hungry."

"You should eat something all the same." Ren replied. "It wouldn't do any good to have you collapse from hunger."

Weiss paused, looking him over for a moment. He simply started back into her bright azure eyes with a small smile on his face, a look that disarmed her and she relented. WIth a smile of her own tugging at the corners of her mouth she reached out and took one of the sandwiches, removing a modest chunk with one bite.

Ren took a seat before her desk, opening his scroll and switching to another screen. "The police are out in a full search for Ruby and her captors." He said. "Even Yang has taken to the streets."

"Hopefully the police find them before she does." Weiss said between bites.

Ren chuckled. "Here's hoping."

Another knock came from the door and Blake entered seconds later, closing the door behind her and crossing the room to Weiss' desk. "Everything looks good around the building." She said. Her eyes passed over the sandwiches. "Lunch?"

Weiss held her's in her mouth, freeing her hand to grab the other half and offering it to her friend. Blake accepted the piece of food and took a bite as she walked to the single window in the room, lifting the blinds and looking about outside.

"What about Sun?" Weiss asked.

"When I called to tell him what happened he was still in up town." Ren replied. "From his report he's found nothing as of yet."

Weiss finished off her food as Blake stepped away from the window. "We're spread to thin." Blake said.

"Just the way we're supposed to be." Weiss added, bringing Ren's and Blake's eyes to her. "They're trying to separate us, put us in a position where we're at our weakest."

"We won't give them that opening." Blake reassured and Weiss hoped she was right.

"What about Yang?" Ren asked. "Should we call her back?"

"I doubt that will be necessary." Blake replied.

Weiss nodded. "We could only be so lucky if our enemy decided to confront her. I hope they are that foolish."

* * *

Yang's motorcycle roared through the city streets, bound for an area still under construction. Many of the roads were torn up which turned the area into a labyrinth that forced her to take the long way to her destination; a strip of cramped buildings set into an incomplete block.

Leaving her motorcycle on the street Yang walked up to an alley between two businesses. Just beyond the brick foundation a flight of concrete stairs lead down to a metal door with a sign beside it reading "Caged Nevermore". It was a funny name for a bar but it was a place she could count on and it had been for years.

Pushing the door open Yang descended a small stair well as the bells over the doorway signaled her entrance. Down below was a long room with a bar along one wall and booths on the other. It was a dimly lit place with dark red walls and a mahogany floor dotted with tables. Standing by the bar dressed in a barrister's uniform with a broom in hand was a tall bald man. He was lazily sweeping with his back to her, not really cleaning but killing time.

"We're closed." He said without turning around. "Come back later if you want a drink."

"Actually," Yang began, stopping at the bottom of the steps, "I'm here for business."

The man stopped in his task, recognizing her voice he turned to face her. A pair of dark sunglasses obscured his eyes and a black beard adorned his face along with deep lines of age. "Well all be damned." He said, facing her and setting the broom aside. "Yang Xiao Long. How long has it been since you were last here?"

She winked at him. "Nice to see you too, Junior."

He waved her off as he walked to stand behind the bar. "Don't call me that." He said. "I left that name behind a long time ago."

"Along with your position in the Torchwick gang." She added, taking a seat in one of the stools across from him.

"That's ancient history now." He replied. "Your usual?"

"Please and thank you."

The man took down a martini glass from the shelf behind him and set himself to work mixing her drink. "So what brings you my way?"

"Need I answer that?" She asked in response. "You already know."

"It's about yesterday's attack and everything going on today." He replied more than asked. "Yeah, I know."

He poured out a stream of golden liquid from his shaker into her glass, setting it aside and dropping a small umbrella onto the rim. He expertly tossed down a small napkin and set the glass atop it, sliding it over before her.

"You want info on the people behind it." He said, placing the shaker under the counter. "I may know a few things."

Yang reached into her jacket and pulled out a small envelope, placing it on the bar and pushing it towards him. The man took it and slipped it into his vest before reaching under the bar and retrieving a pair of shot glasses and a bottle of liquor. He filled the glasses to the brim with the translucent liquid, offering one to Yang and taking up the other. Raising the glasses to each other the pair drained them in one gulp before setting them back down and Junior placed his hands on the bar, leaning against it.

"The guys you're after are a mystery." He began. "I've been looking into them since an old 'acquaintance' paid me a visit roughly a week ago. Now, either they're good at covering their tracks or they're operating all on their own but I can't find a paper trail making it real hard to track them by the market. But here's one thing I can tell you; you're up against some people in high places and in your own government for that matter."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Looks that way, I don't have any names but from everything I've seen thus far this whole nasty situation has been a power play."

"A what now?" Yang asked.

"A power play." He repeated. "Back in the day, when I was a gangster, when we wanted to expand we made a play and moved into another gang's territory. We would wipe them out and take over. It's simple yet effective."

"That's why Weiss has been the target." Yang deduced. "They want to take her out so the seat as Chancellor is open for grabs."

"That's what it looks like but whoever is pulling the strings went and hired some real deal thugs to carry this out. I don't know about yesterday's attack but today's , involving your sister, was far too professional to have been carried out by run of the mill punks. Much like the guys that got blown up today."

"Which brings me to another thing." Yang began. "The more we look at this the more it looks like Torchwick's doing."

Her words made Junior visibly recoil. "Roman?" He asked. "He's passed ten years now."

"I know." Yang nodded. "We think it's the doing of a copy cat, someone who knows Torchwick or is familiar with his tactics."

Junior poured himself another shot, draining the glass with a flick of his wrist. "If that's the case," he said as he placed the glass down, "Then you're in real trouble."

"That's why I need you to look into this for me." Yang continued. "We need to know who we're up against but most of all I need to know where my sister is being kept and why they took her."

"That's one thing that's been bothering me about this whole deal." He said. "If they're working to kill Schnee why not ice her when they took Rose." He raised a finger as Yang opened her mouth. "Don't. I know what I said and I don't need a pun to go with it."

Yang shrugged.

Junior poured himself another shot and quickly drained it. "I'll see what I can dig up." He said. "I'll find the guys behind this and your sister."

Yang picked up her glass and downed half the drink. "Thanks." She emptied the glass with a second gulp, standing up and slipping a piece of paper onto the bar. "You can reach me here."

The man picked it up and slipped it into his pocket before pouring another shot. Yang had turned and was at the steps by the time he raised the glass. "Be careful, blondie." He said, giving Yang pause. "My gut tells me it's going to hit the fan here real soon."

Yang stared up the steps, her hand resting on the railing. "Don't suppose your gut tells you where, does it?"

He didn't answer, the only response she got was the sound of the glass touching down on the bar. Yang then climbed the steps and exited the bar, ascending the concrete stairs outside in a few strides. She knew Junior was good for his word double cross her but at this point it was anyone's guess.

Just as she mounted her bike her scroll chimed at her. She retrieved the device from her inner pocket, opening the device to see Sun's name appear on the screen.

"What do you got?" She asked.

"Where are you right now?"

"The development district." She replied. "Why? Where are you?"

"In a storehouse in the outer limits out east. I found something; crates of parts."

"Parts? Like weapons?"

"No," Sun answered, "Looks like robotics. A witness reported some trucks coming by here at odd hours and that's when I found this."

"Alright, I'm on my way over."

"The police are here as well, they're taking most of it back to headquarters. What do you think this stuff is here for?"

Yang paused, thinking back on what Junior told her. "I don't know." She replied. "For now let's be happy this stuff is in our hands rather than somebody else's."

* * *

Sky stared at the words on the screen before him, his elbows on his desk and his chin resting on his hands. Things were moving ahead of schedule and his co-conspirators, as well as their third party, wanted to move to the next stage of their plan. He sat in his private office in the lab, pretending to read the data in front of him. He thought about what was to pass and although he felt guilty for it he knew it was necessary.

The door to his office slid open and the scientist from this morning stepped in. "Mister Lark," she spoke, "I have the reports you asked for."

He turned his chair around. "Thank you." He rose and approached her, accepting the tablet she held.

"Also," she opened her scroll, "I received your notice and I had questions about our visitors this evening."

"They're a handful of new benefactors interested in the Starbright System." He began. "They can help us with the recent project and maybe can explain the malfunction we experienced this morning."

She seemed to perk up. "I see, we can finally perfect the system."

"That's the plan anyways." He said. "Once it's completed the Pennys will be the perfect guards for Vale."

"This will be a relief to Miss Schnee, won't it?" She asked, a look of admiration on her face that took all of Sky's self control to hide his disgust.

"Undoubtedly." He said

A chime came from the scroll at his side and quickly faded. "That should be them now." He said. "Would you mind letting them in?" He asked her. "I need to organize a few things here and I'll be out shortly."

She nodded to him. "Of course."

As she turned Sky's face grew somber and he turned away as the door closed behind her. He went to his desk, tossing the tablet onto it's surface and standing there quietly. He would not ask to be forgiven for this and a moment later gunfire pierced the silence around him. He listened as panicked screams echoed from beyond his office, cut short by thunderous explosions. This lasted very briefly and then silence fell over him again.

He turned where he stood as the door to his office opened, a man in a grey jumpsuit and black hat stood at the entrance with pistol in hand. Sky walked towards him and he stepped aside, allowing the councilman to exit the room. Many other men similarly dressed dotted the lab, hovering over the equipment and casting off duffle bags from their backs.

One man turned from the console he stood at. "I'm in." He said to Sky. "I have access to the system."

Sky nodded to him. "Good. Proceed with the next step." He looked to a trio who stood nearby. "You three," he addressed them, "Clean up the bodies."

"Got it."

Sky watched them lay down the weapons, moving about to their labor, one he could not bring himself to watch. Instead he faced the large capsule at the center of the room and began making his way towards it, stepping over one of the bodies as he went. He placed a hand on the cylindrical machine, feeling the vibrations that ran through the metal.

"What I do," he said to himself, "Is for Vale." He removed his hand. "To that end Weiss must be dealt with."

* * *

Ruby's vision was hazy but she was beginning to regain consciousness. Her head swam and pain seared through her skull, through it all she could see shapes and shadows and she could hear voices. Distant at first that grew clearer as her vision cleared and her mind focused.

"The control room is ours." She heard a man say. "But we've lost some of our supplies to the cops."

"Doesn't matter." Another man said, a voice that was familiar to Ruby. "We're well ahead of schedule and the good councilman is playing in our court."

Ruby tried to move but found her hands and legs bound, she quickly realized she was tied to a chair as she regained her wits. She looked about her, shrouded in darkness she could only make out a few forms.

"She's awake."

She looked ahead of her at the sound of a lighter and she saw the glow of the flame flicker. She could hear a man inhaling as the flame vanished and then exhaling shortly after as a blinding light fell over her. She cast her gaze downward to shield her eye from the onslaught and a shadow fell over her. Looking up she stared into the white coat of a man she believed long dead, leaning on his signature cane.

Roman Torchwick himself loomed over her.

"Hello, red. Did you miss me?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Roman Torchwick." Ruby growled.

"Oh, good," the man laughed, "You remember me! Needless to say I remember you." He leaned in over her, eyeing her from head to toe, the lines of age showing on his face and the beginnings of a scar visible from under the low cut of his jacket. "Yes, I remember you."

He grabbed her eyepatch, pulling a few hairs out as he tore it off her face. Hooking his thumb into the empty socket he jerked her head back to look into her eye. She saw a cruel grin on his face as his fingers dug into her skull.

"I even remember this." He said, shaking her head forcefully. "I was there when Cinder took your eye with her bare hands. I must admit, she was one cruel woman." He threw her head back, releasing her and stepping away.

Ruby ground her teeth, biting back the pain. "How are you still alive?" She asked. "You died."

"Yes, after shooting me off my own ship I supposed this comes as something of a surprise to you." He replied, instinctively placing a hand to his chest. "But, you see, the difference between you and me, red, is that when I kill somebody I make sure they're dead. Like that one girl," he said happily, "What was her name, though?" He snapped his fingers a couple of times as he thought. "You know who I'm talking about, you were there, after all." Ruby glared at him, her teeth clenched as she pulled at her bonds. "You know." Roman pressed, "Red hair, stupid smile, carrying a giant, grenade launching hammer-"

"Nora." Ruby snarled.

"That's it!" Roman laughed. "I always forgot her name when I tell this story." He stepped up to her, raising his cane. "Like I said; when I kill somebody, I make sure they're dead." He pressed the weapon to her heart. "I shot her here," he then raised it to her forehead, "And here."

She jerked her head away, drawing a wider grin from him. He lowered his cane as he walked backwards, chuckling to himself.

"You must really feel bad about what happened." He began. "The only reason she's dead is because of you. She died protecting you." He looked around at the men gathered, "That's a friend, am I right?"

Ruby's temper flared. "Shut up!" She shouted. "Don't you dare talk about her, you monster!"

The man whirled around, bringing up the hooked end of his cane and striking his hostage under the jaw. She fell backward, chair and all, crashing onto the floor as the taste of blood filled her mouth. She tried to steady her blurring vision as a shadow fell over her.

"Sorry about that." Roman said in a mocking tone. "My hand slipped."

Ruby coughed. "Why don't you just kill me?" She asked. "That's what you're after isn't it? Revenge?"

"Oh, I won't kill you, red. At least, not yet." He looked at a pair of his men who walked over and set Ruby back up right. "I want to make you bleed first." He said. "I'm going to take everything you love, everyone you love, and make you watch as I destroy and kill every last one of them." He twirled his cane around in his hands. "But I may as well have a little fun while I'm at it."

He stepped in, bringing his cane about in a wide arc, landing a heavy blow to Ruby's skull.

* * *

It was dusk by the time Yang entered the suburbs, following the lights of the squad cars gathered around a large storehouse on a lone block. She watched officers carry out crate after crate and load them into trucks as she pulled up. She drew a number of salutes as she dismounted and made her way inside, finding Sun standing by the door.

"All of these boxes," she began, "Are machine parts?"

Sun nodded. "One of the boys recognized them as robotics." He answered. "But to build what, we don't know."

"So they're not the typical stuff from Atlas, then?"

"Any and all serial numbers have been scratched off. I have Velvet down at VPD headquarters helping discern their make and what they can be used for."

Yang crooked an eyebrow at him. "You're getting Velvet involved?"

Sun turned to walk outside and Yang followed him. "We appreciate Weiss' thought, trying to keep her out of this. But face it, we're already involved." He stopped just outside the entrance, looking out towards the city. "Although she's my right hand in the Colonies, Vale was once her home and she'll do whatever she can to defend it."

Yang smiled and gave a helpless shrug. "Can't argue with that."

"What about you?" He asked, turning to her. "Any word on Ruby?"

She shook her head. "Nothing yet." She said optimistically. "I have a friend looking into it. He'll find her and the bastards behind this."

Sun simply nodded in approval. "Once I'm done here I'll be returning to the embassy." He said. "What will you do?"

"Look around some more." Came her response. "I just can't sit around and do nothing, I guess."

"I can understand how you feel." Sun began, "Just be sure to get home and rest at some point."

"If anything I'll just crash in an alley. Won't be the first time I've done that."

Sun laughed. "I hear you, there." The sounds of car doors closing drew Sun's attention to the police. "Looks like we're finished here." He faced her again. "Keep me posted, alright?"

Yang nodded. "You got it."

She watched the man climd into the nearest truck and the caravan of vehicles left her behind. Straddling her bike she sat there for several moments, her thoughts wandering and her eyes scanning the cityscape. She strapped her helmet on and kicked her bike to life, speeding off back into the forest of buildings.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?"

A group of five men sat around a table in the middle of an ornate room, the upper floor of an upscale restaurant. The men gathered were dressed in suits and wearing concerned or paranoid looks.

"Didn't you say it was dangerous for all of us to gather in person like this?" One asked.

"I didn't organize this." Said another, defensively.

"It has to be Lark." One claimed. "He's the only one missing."

"What is he up to?"

The double doors to the room opened, making the group turn in their seats. Sky entered the room, walking with confidence and ignoring the unsettled tone in the room. He walked up to the table and stood at an empty section, placing his hands on the wood and looking over those gathered.

"Gentlemen, it's good of you all to make it tonight." He said.

"Why did you call us here, Lark?"

"We were never supposed to meet in person."

Sky looked at them curiously. "I don't see the harm." He began. "We are just an esteemed group of men from the council, gathering together to discuss the chaos that's been growing in our city over the course of not even two full days." His words and tone seemed to spark a few ideas in the older men.

"So if we're seen handling this as members of the council," one man began, "We could win favor wit the rest of the board and the people themselves."

"Exactly." Sky replied with enthusiasm. "From the outside view we are doing our civil duties and it will make it less believable should anyone accuse us of anything remotely resembling a conspiracy."

"About that matter," another man spoke, "How do you intend to handle this situation? Dealing with Schnee?"

"Not only that," began another, "That man had a prime opportunity to finish this himself yet he didn't."

"Instead he abducted General Rose."

Sky raised his hands, taking on a defensive posture. "Roman's actions are a curiosity to me as well." He said. "But I can assure you that this will only aide us. By removing one of the major pieces on the board we can strike at them while they're divided and weakened."

"I see." One man nodded. "This is actually quite advantageous for us."

"Indeed." Sky continued. "By this time tomorrow Weiss Schnee will be dead and we will be stepping in to lead Vale."

"Brilliant." One man chuckled.

"At long last the authority over Vale will belong to us."

On cue a man in a waiter's uniform entered the room, bearing a tray lined with drinks. The men didn't question the arrival's presence as he walked around the table and placed a glass before each of them. Taking up their glasses the mens stood and when Sky had his own they raised them into the air.

"To Vale." Sky proclaimed.

One by one the men raised their drinks to their mouths, everyone except Sky. He pressed the glass to his lips but not a drop touched him as the others finished their's and returned the glasses to the table. Sky waited before lowering his own, drawing a few curious looks as his glass remained full.

Tucking his hands behind his back Sky counted down to himself as his betrayal took hold. It started with a clearing of the throat then escalated to coughing as the men around him teetered where they stood, collapsing back into their chairs or onto the ground. He waited patiently, watching yet not watching his former comrades expire before him. When the room fell eerily quiet the only two left standing were Sky and the waiter who loosened the bow tie around his neck.

After a brief pause, casting his eyes downward for only a second, Sky turned and made his way towards the doors. "You know what to do." He said to the waiter.

The man nodded. "Clean it up, make it look like in-fighting." He recited. "We'll get it done."

As Sky approached the entrance the doors opened and men in black suits entered, walking around the lone politician as he left. One more phase of the plan was now complete, he thought, only Weiss stood in his way.

* * *

Yang never came home last night, she had called Blake letting her know and she in turn passed the news onto Weiss. It was just the two of them at breakfast and Weiss realized they hadn't shared a normal meal together since they returned. Despite the behest of Blake and the guards stationed around her home Weiss insisted on going to her office, claiming her duties as chancellor didn't end just because of recent events.

She sat in the back seat of a squad car with Blake and two more cars ahead of and behind her own. "Yang is continuing her search on her own." Blake explained. "She has an 'old' friend who's helping her out."

"An 'old friend'?" Weiss asked. "I don't even want to ask."

"Apparently he had connections with the Torchwick gang." Blake continued. "Even when Torchwick worked alone."

"So we're going ahead and calling this the work of the Torchwick gang?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know who else would have the backing or resources to pull off these attacks." Blake began. She lowered her voice so the driver couldn't hear her, "Unless it really is someone from within the government itself."

"That remains unseen." The other woman replied, rubbing her eyes.

It wasn't hard for Blake to tell that she was stressed, anyone would be in this situation no matter what they had been through and with Ruby missing it was hard to keep an optimistic attitude. Blake didn't know what she could do other than protect her friend and act a kind of bodyguard for now, she believed that Yang would find Ruby. She had to hold onto that hope more than anything.

As Blake turned to look out the window she saw movement on a nearby rooftop, her sharp eyes tried to find where it had disappeared to but found nothing. A feeling of dread welled up inside her chest and Blake tapped the driver on the shoulder, her eyes still scanning the buildings. Before she could say anything the car ahead of them bent upward, rear over front in an explosion of metal and glass.

Blake held onto Weiss as the car skidded to a halt, stopping mere feet from the wrecked car that had stopped almost instantaneously where it was. The other car pulled up alongside, the officers within exiting with guns drawn and keeping low. Then came a sound, something like wire cables pulling against one another and the officer nearest their car fell as a black sword, suspended on a thick wire, ran him through.

The other officers opened fire on a target Blake could not see, each one falling to a similar attack that felled the first. Drawing her weapon from her coat Blake kept Weiss low in her seat as the driver threw the car into reverse and back into drive to move around the obstruction. As they sped passed Blake caught a glimpse of their attacker, dressed in a construction uniform and using the car they stood upon as cover.

It was a Penny.

With disbelief slacking her jaw Blake watched as the car tried to make a run for it only to be jolted to a stop as a hail of dull sounds echoed through the frame. The vehicle shifted and the rear swung to one side, spinning them around to face Penny as she stepped off the wreckage and approach, a pair of swords protruding from her forearms.

The driver immediately put the car in drive and slammed his foot down on the accelerator, a good plan where they facing any other opponent and Blake herself knew too well how this would end. Penny dug in her heels, raised her arms and with minimal effort stopped the car in it's advance. The windshield shattered from the impact and it was only thanks to her seat belt that Blake managed to keep from hitting her head against the seat in front of her.

When the car's rear end touched back down, shifting the entire vehicle, Blake found Penny standing with the car's hood bent in around her. With the blade of her weapon Blake cut her seat belt and kicked her door open, jumping out of the car with ease, turning herself about as soon as she touched down. She raised her weapon, shifting it into it's gun form and training it on Penny, pulling the trigger without a moment's hesitation.

Penny's head snapped backward, her arms coming loose from the car by the sheer impact of the high caliber round Blake had long since switched to using. She fired another shot, hoping against all hope to end this conflict swiftly but when Penny's arm snapped up, the blade on her arm turning the projectile away, she knew it was a foolish hope.

"That wasn't very nice, Admiral."

Penny straightened herself, the smashed bullet on her forehead falling away. With a jerk of her body she removed herself from the mass of metal laying before her, turning to fully face the woman. She took a few steps away from the car, her blank eyes locked onto her opponent and rolling her wrists and blades alike.

"Luckily my skeleton was built like the original's." She said, coming to a stop. "I have Miss Schnee to thank for that." She raised an arm and sword. "As well as this."

Blake furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, didn't she tell you?" The machine girl asked in a surprised tone although her face didn't show any emotion. "I guess not, we were supposed to be a secret weapon, after all."

Blake glanced to the car as Weiss managed to pull herself out, leaning on her cane and nursing her ribs. "I don't understand." Blake said. "You were built to be administrators, assistants, a reliable work force to rebuild Vale."

"Yes, we were built for that." Penny replied. "But we had another function as well: to be Vale's secret army." She looked towards Weiss and Blake readied herself to move. "It was Miss Schnee who started the Starbright system after the original fell, she had every inch of her schematics studied and replicated, outwardly saying it was for a 'easy and convenient work force'. But she also had the original's combat techniques and weapons installed in us for the sole purpose of acting as her weapons."

Blake looked to Weiss who only stood there, saying nothing and contesting none of what penny had said. "Is that true?" Blake asked.

"Of course it is." Penny answered instead. "Normally I would be under her control and follow her commands, but I've a different set of orders to carry out." Her back opened up and a number of swords emerged, extending and connecting to their full length and hovering on wire cables. "If you have to be mad at anyone, Admiral, be mad at Miss Schnee for ordering us to be built this way."

The weapons above her lunged forth, arcing for Weiss and Blake found herself at a dead sprint trying to reach Penny before her swords swords met their target. Weiss raised her cane, bringing up her free hand and tracing a sign in the air, summoning a glyph under her feet that tossed her backward. As she moved she struck the ground with her can and a wall of ice shot up in front of her just in time to catch the pursuing weapons.

Penny turned to face Blake at the sound of her approach, raising an arm to swing at her only to find her disappeared. Blake stood on the other side of her, her sword tracing an arc in the air as the cables snapped as if on their own. She turned on her heel, keeping her weapon low and close to her body. She ducked beneath Penny's arm as she struck out at her, stepping inside her reach and brining up her sword only to have it barely scratch Penny's skin.

Using her semblance Blake managed to get away as Penny swung again, her arm passing through the mirror image left behind. With the same blank expression Penny turned on Blake, giving chase with her right arm raised into the air. Blake realized her opponent's reaction time was far greater than her own, she had just set foot on the ground and she managed to throw herself backwards, using her semblance again to pass through the attack.

Penny, of course, passed through the mirror image and yet carried through with her swing. Blake was behind her again and as Penny used her momentum to turn faster, she found herself face to face with her once more. Blake managed to raise her weapon at the last second, keeping Penny's blade from reaching her yet it also kept her rooted in place.

The bout quickly changed to one of brute strength as Penny pressed down on Blake, the edge of her blade scraping down the side of Blake's own. The black haired woman wouldn't be able to hold her back for long and as Penny raised her other arm it looked like she wouldn't have to for long.

As Penny's arm arced in, poised from Blake's neck, a dull yet deafening sound rang out around them and a pillar of ice appeared beneath them, ensnaring Penny's arm. Using this as her chance Blake jumped back only to touch down and dash forward again, driving the blade of her weapon through Penny's chest.

Removing her weapon Blake jumped back as white liquid poured out from the hole as well as her eyes. Penny raised a hand to her chest, looking down at the damage to her before looking back up at Blake while her head shook and her eyes shone with digital text.

"Please help me."

Blake felt a twinge inside her as she watched another block of ice emerge from the ground, impaling the machine girl where she stood and she soon fell limp against it. Blake turned to see Weiss approach, the faint light of a glyph fading from the ground behind her. Blake faced her as siren blared further down the road, a sign of reinforcements.

Blake's eyes bore into Weiss' own, accusing and questioning. "Was that all true?" She asked and Weiss didn't answer. "It was wasn't it?" She pressed. "You lied to us," her voice seemed to shake, "You swore to us, all of us, that you would never turn Penny into a weapon. You swore to Penny herself!"

"Blake," Weiss began, putting a hand to her ribs again, "Please understand, I did what I had to in order to protect Vale. We were vulnerable and our army was stretched thin-"

"Even so, there had to have been another way." Blake shook her head, closing her eyes as she stepped away from her friend. "You lied to us all." She opened her eyes and Weiss saw only anger and sadness behind them. "In the end, you're doing to her what Ozpin did to us. You're no different than him."

Weiss stood there, her body frozen by the woman's words and the sound of the sirens grew closer. She tried to say something but her voice caught in her throat each time. She curled her hand up in the fabric of her jacket as her grip on her cane tightened until she shook.

Blake turned away from her. "I can't be around you right now."

With that she began walking, passing by the wreckage around them and disappearing from Weiss' sight as squad cars pulled up all around her.


End file.
